Author's Note:
*sobs* I finally finished this chaappptterrr! ｡･ﾟ･(*ﾉД'*)･ﾟ･。
To describe my suffering from the past few months--
Work Place Miscommunication:
The Lab Supervisor to our CEO: We can handle 4,000 samples at the most.
Our liaison between the lab to the CEO: We can do 8,000.
Our CEO and our sales-rep, who slapped a hand on top of the roof of our lab: This baby can hold 10,000 COVID samples.
So after my last update, I was dying.
Things are all better now though! I mean, at least I got some sleep? And the next chapter is shorter, so it should be out sooner? Maybe? Probably.
...--------...
The sunlight filtered through the tree's canopy, warming the chilly morning air and blanketing the earth with a dazzling show of radiance. Though Autumn's coolness made itself known in the winds, Evadne Academy's flora was full of life, the surrounding forest, an emerald green. The birds seemed unaffected by the colder climate, their songs livening the atmosphere and creating a bright image throughout the woods.
Edward took a deep breath and then released it slowly through his nose, the crisp air clearing his mind and settling his nerves. He sat on one of the forest's many benches, well hidden from the forest paths and more into the middle of the wilderness. Along with the beauty of nature, the 'Ice Prince' did not look out of place, especially with how his golden hair had shined and glowed under the sunlight. It was a strangely peaceful image, one that would compel others to relax involuntarily.
With his hands neatly folded in his lap and his head slightly leaned back, he closed his ice-blue eyes. "What brings Sir McGowan to this part of the academy?"
Allister McGowan stood some ways behind Edward, startled from his hiding place as he was unexpectedly ousted by the eldest son of the Rosetta's. At first, noticing the Ice Prince's absence from their class's private salon was a coincidence. Finding him outside in the academy's gardens was also a coincidence, an opportunity-- the Crown Prince was nowhere in sight; Rosetta was separate from the majority of the student body, and located in a rather private part of the academy grounds. He could confront the Rosetta Heir without invoking the suspicion of their classmates, but it seemed that Edward Rosetta thought that same as well.
Astutely, Allister didn't respond, not daring to test his intelligence against one of the top students in the school who ranked first in their last exam. Regardless, Edward didn't even bother to wait for a response and opened his cold-feeling eyes.
"You must pass my apologies to your grandfather, Marquis McGowan," Edward began, his voice unusually soft. "I unintentionally insulted his intelligence in front of my father. Katherine is right; Marquis McGowan is not a careless man. He's especially not a man that would make reckless plans-- such as kidnapping the son of the Prime Minister. The son of a Duke."
With every word that passed Edward's lips, the tension in the air built until it was thick enough to cut with a knife. Allister continued to play mute, but that didn't deter the other from resuming their one-sided conversation.
"Marquis McGowan spent his entire life building his empire, even under the tyrannical rule of Dominus Regale. During that time period, he has learned to be ruthless, but careful. He covers his tracks swiftly and thoroughly and uses his paranoia to his advantage. Anything out of place would be cut off or replaced. He wouldn't plot something so... sloppy. Indiscreet. And those Gullfaxi horses are anything but discreet. My abduction would be anything but discreet."
The morning air became chillier, the cold seeping through Allister's Neifion custom-made jacket and penetrating his skin. The McGowan Heir shivered, partly due to fear, and when he started having thoughts of fleeing, he found that his feet would not listen to him. Looking down, he saw that his expensive dress shoes were frozen to the ground, and immediately, he panicked. His face was pale as he tried to stop the frost from climbing up his legs, but his hands became numb the moment he touched the ice.
When did Rosetta summon his magic and how could he have summoned it so fast?! He didn't even hear the other chant! Or was this already planned beforehand and Allister fell right into the Ice Prince's trap?
However, Edward didn't move from his seat, steady and calm as if they were casually talking about the weather or a class project.
"But even if Marquis McGowan isn't the one who sent those men to get me, someone in the McGowan family is involved. There are only a select few nobles in Evadne that own Gullfaxi horses and only the McGowan's are unaccounted for."
In a casual and untroubled manner, Edward stood up from the bench, his posture relaxed and composed, but when he turned around, his ice-blue eyes were chillier than the frigid, high mountain peaks of Kaltesblut. The atmosphere between them dropped to below freezing, the building frost nipping at all of Allister's exposed flesh.
Slowly, the Ice Prince moved around the bench and strolled towards his near-frozen classmate, who stared at him wide-eyed like a small rodent that was cornered by a sharp-toothed, sharp-clawed predator. The closer the Rosetta Heir came, the lower the temperature fell until the cold air made it especially difficult for the young McGowan to breathe normally.
Without caring for the other's declining health (and sanity,) Edward continued their one-sided conversation once again.
"At first, considering the findings of the investigation, I thought Marquis McGowan had some part in this. Because if not him, who else in the McGowan family would be bold enough, and have the motive, to do me harm?" The blond young man narrowed his eyes, causing its ice-blue color to look deeper. "If not your grandfather, who would be bold enough to use his Gullfaxi horses, to act with such an audacious plan without his permission, and to have escaped his punishment, because Marquis McGowan is not a merciful man. There are rumors, terrible ones, about his temper, and what happens when you invoke it."
Edward stopped just three feet in front of the frozen man, his expression impassive as he spoke in a hushed tone, "Who else but his favored grandson? His only grandson, who he doted on and named as his successor. The only one Marquis McGowan couldn't bear to punish."
The McGowan Heir was shivering by the time the eldest son of the Rosetta's finished his point, unable to say a word to defend himself through the chattering of his teeth. He was also unable to use his magic as well, his mouth numb and his lips pale from the cold.
Suddenly, the Ice Prince took one step closer and the despairing young man fell to his knees, unable to keep his strength up in the face of the other's absolute and fearsome oppression. That single move allowed the eldest Rosetta son to hover closer over his frozen victim, his voice dropping to a whisper: "If you ever try to provoke me again, I can do a lot worse than give you frostbite." His bright eyes shimmered with a deadly energy that would remind anyone of the bitter and desolated icy lands of Northern Kaltesblut, a place where Snow Marauders ravaged the territory, leaving frozen carcasses in their paths. "A lot worse. And even Marquis McGowan will not be able to shield you."
Edward took a step back and the temperature rose to a bearable degree. The frost clinging to the McGowan Heir immediately melted into droplets of water, but Allister stayed in place as if he was still frozen in place while the Ice Prince turned around and left his classmate behind, disappearing into the trees.
Though he had said his piece, Edward continued to release a chilly aura, his expression giving away his dark mood.
Eventually, he traveled to a different part of the forest, to another bench placed in front of a small, man-made pond. Plants and rocks were placed around the waters in a way that made the surroundings look both natural and artificial with lily pads covering an extensive part of its surface. It's beautiful in its tranquility and the cold air around Edward's figure became warmer.
Then in the corner of his eyes, something bright red caught his eyes, and Edward quieted as he turned around, noticing the Crown Prince waiting for him near the bench overlooking the waters. For the first time in the long time, he looked incensed. His dark-red brows were furrowed and when his crimson eyes spotted the blond teen approaching, they sharpened in response.
"...Your Highness," Edward greeted, his tone filled with surprise. "You...I thought you would be busy with your mother." Though a week had passed since the kidnapping incident, Her Highness was still sulking over how she 'missed all the fun'. She mostly took it out on her son, who she dragged to go on adventures outside of the city, and her husband, who funded those expeditions from his own pockets. As far as the blond teen was aware, Xander was still supposed to be out camping inside the Adrastus forest with the Queen to hunt for a saber-horned lynx.
Apparently, whatever he had said crossed the Crown Prince further. Edward startled when his best friend began to march towards him with heavy, angry steps. "A perfect time for you to go off all alone, to face the assailant that tried to do you harm," he accused, his aura contrastingly hotter. "You should have waited for me."
"What--Waited?" Edward nearly sputtered in disbelief, baffled by the other's vexed mood. He didn't even have the courtesy to flinch back as Xander came closer with a dark expression. "I-- I assumed that your Highness would be gone for another week, as your outings with your mother tended to be. And McGowan is no threat to me."
The prince's eyes shadowed. "He hired people to kidnap you!"
"But McGowan himself doesn't have the courage to try anything himself," Edward refuted reasonably, confused by the other's irritable mood. "The McGowan's do not like dirtying their own hands. And Allister McGowan does not have the means to hire anyone inside the academy considering the nature of the academy's barrier."
Xander didn't seem convinced, an uncharacteristic grimace making its way into his tense expression. "Then why was he willing to follow you into such a private area if not for ill-reasons?"
"Obviously, the kidnapping failed and had created a rather big ruckus among the city. McGowan probably wanted to determine whether his plan had intimidated me enough to be further threatened into silence," Edward explained calmly, trying to placate his friend, but the red-haired teen brushed off his attempts.
"So he did have ill-intentions as he was following you," Xander pointed out with narrowed eyes, and Edward blinked when he then realized... When did his Highness witness him leading Allister McGowan away from the academy? Had he also seen the way he tried to oppress McGowan as well? The way he used his magic to subdue and trap their classmate in order to make his point and to repay the other for all the grievances he had suffered?
A sense of shame washed over Edward as the blond teen looked down in mortification. Rarely did he ever let his emotions get in the way of his integrity and his sense of justice, and maybe if he was the one kidnapped instead, he wouldn't have done something so personal to McGowan. But unfortunately, his bottom line was touched and the eldest son of the Rosetta's never took threats to his people kindly.
Of course, that didn't mean he would want his best friend to see such a side of him. As the next Prime Minister, therefore the next King's right-hand man, he should be a shining example of fairness and righteousness. Granted, running a country was not all sunshine and rainbows, and both had seen their fair share of ugliness, but this type of thing was not something he wanted to openly display in front of the Crown Prince.
"...He does, there is no doubt about that," Edward admitted slowly as he returned his gaze back to his best friend. "But McGowan lacks any talent in combat and his magical talent is also less than subpar despite his third-tier designation; therefore no threat to me. I am capable of defending myself from anything he tries to throw at me."
Though Edward was sincerely trying to reassure his peevish friend, Xander only became more frustrated and rubbed his face in an aggravated manner. "That's not the point, Edward."
There was no one in this entire kingdom that was more aware of Edward's capabilities than the prince himself. He watched over time, since they were nothing but children who couldn't even handle the weight of a sword, as his best friend pushed himself to be an exemplary model of a nobleman. Graceful and dignified, he gathered the awe and admiration of their peers and the recognition of the older generation. The eldest son of the Rosetta's was the perfect picture of intelligence and strength. Not only were his grades and swordsman skills beyond outstanding but his magical talent was often compared to the Queen despite their tier differences. The fact that his magic was a rare ice-based element made him even more enviable.
But sometimes, his best friend seemed to have forgotten that beyond their grades, their ranks, and their talents, as humans, they were very vulnerable and inexperienced compared to a lot of adults. Of course, Allister McGowan was harmless by himself but the men he hired weren't. What if he found more people like them?
At the time of the carriage chase, Xander was unaware of the true nature of the situation. Since it was young Thomas that was kidnapped, he didn't consider the possibility that his best friend, his dearest and most faithful companion, the person he would trust with his life and, in turn, would devote his own life as well, was the intended target instead. His mother took the most of his time after the event and he wasn't able to check the results of the findings until some poor young knight braved the dangers of Adrastus forest, passing all the flesh-eating plants, cockroach-like sharp-teeth wood sprites, miles into the devouring swamp-lands to give them the written letters from his father.
His mother's letters were filled with mollifying and placating poetry, the words so carefully inscribed with love that the classic romantic writer Mil Cordliss, who was claimed by scholars to be the Father of Romanticism and the catalyst for Astria's Romantic Era 500 years ago, would blush at the content. The letters meant for him were more straight to the point, fulfilling the request he had asked of his father before his mother dragged him off into another one of her sulk-induced adventures.
After reading it twice, he immediately came back with the young knight despite the looming threat of his mother's ire. His father wasn't surprised by his early return and, of course, on the very first day he was back to attending classes once again, his best friend decided to confront the same person who had planned the kidnapping.
He remembered his best friend once fretting about the possibility of his younger brother being kidnapped due to his sleeping habits and ironically, his prediction came true, but at the same time, Edward had no leg to stand on as well. If Thomas was endangered because of his lack of awareness and sense of danger, then the eldest son would be endangered because of his status.
As the heir to the second most powerful lineage in the kingdom and the Prime Minister position, his future would be full of strife and malicious attacks from even their own citizens. Miraculously, maybe because of the looming influence of Queen Maria Windsor, who mostly stayed in the capital since her husband's coronation, this was the first time someone had the gull to create a disturbance while she was 100 miles within reach of their position. It was no secret among the public that instead of the Royal Guards or the People's Militia personnel, the infamous Brimstone Dragon would often be the first person on the scene of the crime.
No-one stopped her, much less her husband, because his mother's presence was actually a great deterrence against criminal activities.
But his mother couldn't always stay in the capital, and she was the one that taught him to never underestimate one's opponents. That there was always someone stronger, bolder, faster, and smarter.
The Queen was undoubtedly powerful, but she wasn't immortal or even invincible. And he didn't want to rely on his parents forever. Would he rely on them to protect Edward for him? Of course not. His mother had already taught him how to fight against all sorts of monsters: minotaurs and their large stature, nature sprites and their sharp teeth, drakes that could ignite fires on their scales, man-eating insects, red wolves, wild griffins, and much more. Now, nearing his Coming of Age in a couple of years, it was time to ask his father how to fight the monsters disguised as humans.
Edward already had a head start, probably dealing with them behind his back and letting him indulge in his interest in magical research and discovery. Xander felt ashamed that he allowed his best friend to deal with these types of things by himself. He wanted his most cherished and dearest person to rely on him more.
Taking a step forward, Xander didn't give a warning as he leaned down and laid his head onto the curve of Edward's shoulder. At first, the blond teen tensed in surprise, his body stiffening like a thick block of ice, but soon after, he automatically reached up and rested a comforting hand on the prince's warm neck. The intimacy was familiar, something that was built over time since the day they had met. Recently, maybe out of consideration over their positions and status, Edward kept a distance between them in public and the Crown Prince was feeling a little bit touch-starved because of it.
Nowadays, privacy between them was hard to obtain. They were always under the watchful eyes of their peers and their subjects and while Xander was known to be tactile even among the common people, Edward thought it would be more proper if they didn't act so familiar with each other in front of others.
The prince felt rather aggrieved by the distance. When they were young, no one would care if they were practically attached to the hip or the way Xander had clung to his best friend in every single way that he could. They would often hold hands, invade each other's personal space, and hug every single time they saw each other (one-sidedly on the Crown Prince's part, most of the time.) That was what he wanted to do right now. He wanted to wrap his arms around his friend's thinner waist, bring their bodies against each other in an attempt to meld them into one. And Edward wouldn't protest or say anything against it, because while his friend restrained their usual intimacy in public, he would never reject his touch in private.
"...I've worried you, haven't I?" Edward sighed, keeping a steady hand on his best friend's nape. Warmth bled from the places where Xander was touching him, and since he had a cool body temperature, the heat made his skin a little rosier. "I did not mean to keep you in the dark like this. But the matter is not as pressing or as dire as you have made it. I'm much capable of handling McGowan and his ilk."
And Xander would be considered foolish not to agree. His father, King Charles Windsor, acted as if Edward was his second child, prideful of the Rosetta's eldest son's maturity and capability. His mother, on the other hand, was gleeful of his best friend's talent in the magic arts in combination with combat arts. While the Rosetta Heir had no intention of joining the Knight Orders, that didn't stop her Highness from taking him under her wing.
With more training, Edward's ice magic had the capability to be far-reaching. Currently, his limit was a little less than 10 feet, but his mother's goal was to extend the area of effect to a third of a mile.
It was why Xander did not intervene when Edward was freezing Allister McGowan into an ice block. It was also one of the reasons why he held back during the chase through the middle-class district.
Edward's magic was undoubtedly powerful, tyrannical in its strength, but moreover, it was terribly beautiful as well. Sometimes, he would find himself mesmerized by the way the frost would glimmer against the light, no matter if it was against an object or human flesh, Xander couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate his best friend's unintended but fine work. Then there was the caster himself, who would often freeze the surrounding air itself often as a warning for those with unsavory characters. On a humid day, the blond never noticed how his magic would create a shimmering aura around his dignified form, which would stun even the most casual of onlookers.
Cold temperament aside, Edward rarely acted on his emotions, and outside his family and the few friends that he would admit to have, he was very distant with the rest of their peers. He treated everyone neutrally and impartially-- all except a chosen few. Xander was obviously one of those 'chosen few'.
'The Crown Prince's Dog,' was what they had started calling him, in loud whispers once they noticed their closeness, and the eldest son of the Rosetta's never seemed to mind the title as much as Xander did. Probably some part of Edward agreed on the name, which was obviously ridiculous in many ways.
It was sad to admit that he had to forcefully scavenge some time within Edward's schedule in order to see his best friend at least once every day, not the other way around. Of course, as the Crown Prince, his own schedule was full as well, but his mother believed in breaks and the Rosetta Heir believed.... that free time was a fantastical concept that did not exist outside of fictional novels.
Xander sighed into the other's neck, mourning over the decrease in quality time together. In response, Edward patted the back of the Prince's head, oblivious to the other's thoughts.
Either way, Allister McGowan saw a rare (and frightening) side of the Ice Prince that he did not dare to imagine, and Xander wasn't blind to the awe mixed in between the terror plastered on his face.
Xander's mood soured even further, restraining his hands next to his sides so that he wouldn't end up clinging onto his best friend. For the longest time, he had had monopoly over Edward's attention. Lord and Lady Rosetta were often busy, Katherine was too close in age and too independent to be coddled by her brother, their friends irritated the Ice Prince to a cold shoulder more often than not, and while Thomas was someone that needed constant care, their relationship was estranged for the longest time and the servants under the Rosetta household were more than competent in taking care of the youngest master. He understood that as long as they grew up and interacted with more people, they couldn't always stay attached to the hip like they were used to now.
But Xander didn't have to like it. And he definitely had a problem with someone courting his friend's attention when they used heinous means to get it.
"... Your Highness, we should be getting back. Classes are about to start," Edward mentioned after a period of silence between them, his voice soft and terribly indulgent. His hand had not moved from where they laid on the back of Xander's head, the lithe fingers playing against the loose red strands.
Unless it was his mother or Edward, Xander didn't really care to pull up his hair often. He enjoyed it free more often than tied up, but his mother required for his hair to be out of the way during training and his best friend agreed with her sentiments as well. As the Queen was left behind in the Adrastus Forest, the Prince didn't bother with his hair before leaving the Palace to attend classes at the academy.
There was a sigh near his ear, fond and exasperated at the same time. "I'll help Your Highness with his hair. Then we must hurry to our classroom."
Immediately, Xander straightened up and lifted himself off of his best friend, his expression brightening as he beamed a glowing smile that had the capability to melt the Ice Prince's freezing heart. If he often left his hair down for the opportunity and excuse of getting physically closer to his best friend, only he (and his mother) had to know.
Though Edward showed some reluctance, he allowed the other to drag him to the bench, and as if Xander had predicted this situation to have occurred, a ribbon conveniently appeared in the palm of his hand, his bright ruby eyes looking up at the other with puppy-like enthusiasm.
Edward: "........"
Resigned, the renowned Ice Prince took the bright red ribbon as the Crown Prince of Astria turned around eagerly waiting for those careful and gentle touches. Xander almost melted on the bench as he felt cool hands running through his hair,
For the next few minutes, Edward busied himself with the other's hair, taking his time weaving the full and thick locks into a neat braid. It didn't occur to him to pull it up into a simple ponytail to save time, so focused on the task that he hadn't noticed the additional visitors struggling through the bushes-- well, one was struggling while the other one was basically trampling the foliage with a single-minded determination. Both of them were young men who were obviously students of the academy, though their appearance seemed rather contrasting.
The youth with the dirty blond hair and an intricate gold and sapphire earring on his right ear grimaced as he picked off a leaf from his stylish haircut. Almost everything about him screamed money from the custom-made Neifion leather dress shoes to his coat lined with the fur of the feline portion of a Blood Chimera. He had a type of handsome face that looked good in every direction, the type that seemed to fit the description of a typical rich and wealthy playboy.
The other young man had a simpler demeanor. His expression was straight but bland, his hair shaved very short, and his clothes closer to that of a knight off-duty than the status of a son of an Earl. He was like a gray, stone wall, a strong pillar without any defining features other than his height.
They entered into the pond area just out of the couple's line of sight, with the intention of finding their two missing classmates, and were attacked with the harmonious and rather domestic scene in front of them. The sweet-toned air made it difficult for most people to interfere and while the handsome, wealthy-looking young man had the tact to pause and reassess the situation, the stone-faced human wall didn't have the same courtesy to read the atmosphere.
"Your Highness, Lord Rosetta," the straight-laced youth greeted in a polite manner, his steady voice startling the two from their interaction. His partner in crime couldn't help but face-palm at the other's lack of tact.
Quickly, Edward finished off the braid before rising from the bench to greet his classmates while Xander tried not to look disappointed as he did the same, the neat, cute red bow tied to the end of his hair swaying as he followed behind his best friend.
"Lord Bergmann, Sir Einion," Edward greeted in a perfunctory manner, his behavior professional and courteous.
Though his time with his best friend was interrupted, the Crown Prince smiled at his two classmates in a friendly manner, his attitude more casual than the Ice Prince next to him. "Lord Bergmann, Sir Einion, what brings you out here?" He asked out of curiosity. After all, not many people, especially the students of the Evadne Academy, would bother to travel this far out into the gardens/forest. Especially the handsome Felix Bergmann, who seemed adverse to the outdoors. He was the type of person who would skip out morning knighthood training, claiming that it was bad for his complexion to be out in the sun for too long.
Noah Einion, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind being outdoors or indoors; as long as Felix was in the same room, he would be there as well. Many thought that the lower-ranked son of the Earl was just trying to earn points from the appearance-conscious son of a Duke. Of course, both Xander and Edward were well aware that this big man was the only thing that prevented his childhood friend from skipping classes to go to the Flower District and from harassing (flirting) with other young ladies as well.
Felix Bergmann was a notorious playboy and the only person who can restrain his terrible habits was the strong-headed, stalwart Noah. Mostly by acts of physical restrainment.
"Classes are about to start," was Noah's reason, regardless of their homeroom teacher's, Professor Fawcett's, constant tardiness since the beginning of his employment. As long as they were present in the classroom before their lackadaisical professor decided to finally make an appearance, their attendance records would still be perfect.
Regardless, Edward's work ethics and pride would not stand being tardy for anything even if there was no one around to check for his presence. It was even more intolerable if the Crown Prince showed any delinquent-like manners whether it was just being one or two minutes late.
Noah might seem dull and flat, especially standing next to his childhood friend, but Edward had always appreciated the other's straightforward and considerate personality. His low status among the nobility, as well as his family's rather stringent and 'economical' reputation, he was often looked down upon even by the younger students. If it wasn't for the Bergmann and Einion families' close and historic relationship to one another, he and his younger sister would probably have a difficult life here in the academy.
It was only because of his business relationship with Felix, the Heir to the Bergman's fortune, that Edward became acquainted with the stoic Noah. Unlike many young noblemen and noblewomen, the young man didn't treat his time in Evadne Academy as a playground and took his studies seriously.
Between the four of them, the Ice Prince, the Crown Prince, the Einion's only son oppressively kept their spots as the top three students in the school ranking for the past several years. Felix, the playboy often called by his lovers as the 'Lover of Evadne,' since it was speculated that no woman in Evadne could resist his charm, had always teetered between the top tens or the top 30s, depending on when his, busy and often absent, older brother decided to pay attention to his scores. His life was as free as the wind; if he was not flirting or accompanying a woman to play with him, he would be out in the streets enjoying the pleasures of life.
Therefore, Edward couldn't help but admire Einion's patience and willingness to follow this fatuous, foolhardy childhood friend of his. "Thank you for the warning, Sir Einion. We're just on our way," the so-called Ice Prince answered gratefully, and though his words seemed sincere, his expression was as dead as the larger youth in front of him. It was rather funny to look at, side by side.
On your way? Weren't you still busy with his Highness' hair by the time they came through the foliage? Felix's eyes twinkled, holding back his laughter but knew better than to invoke both Rosetta and his childhood friend. To tease one is fun but to tease both meant disastrous results for him. Then again, he had never been a person to hold his tongue for anyone, both figuratively and literally. "I mean, Fawcett doesn't care whether we attend his homeroom or not. If we leave to visit, say, Lily Flowers--"
The twin deadpan expressions described their opinion on his suggestion more than anything that could've come out of their mouths. Noah didn't even give his childhood friend a warning before he basically trapped the other in a chokehold and proceeded to drag the other back towards the direction of the academy.
Felix wheezed as his airways were briefly cut off but managed to laugh regardless of how he was manhandled. "N-Noah, I was kidding, couldn't you be a little bit more gentle--~?" The larger youth increased his strength on his hold, choking off what he recognized to be the start of a dirty joke while Edward from behind them raised a hand to pinch the area between his brows in an irritable manner. Xander, for some reason, looked rather contemplative over the matter.
"Homeroom is only 30 minutes so even if Professor Fawcett doesn't mind our absences, our other professors most likely would. Disregarding if we bypass the academy's extensive and complex rune seals, the idea would not be feasible."
Edward looked back at his best friend and suddenly had the urge to put the other in a chokehold as well. "Your Highness," he half said, half sighed with a helpless expression on his face. "It shouldn't be feasible not because of the time restraint but the nature of the trip itself..."
"Oh! No, I wasn't considering a trip to the pleasure house as feasible at all!" The one and only Prince of Astria refuted in a flustered manner. "But we rarely have time for ourselves and I was just thinking it would be nice to have a day for just the two of us since our weekends are occupied with other duties nowadays..."
As Xander blurted out his true thoughts, being as honest and straightforward as his swordsmanship, Edward blinked a few times in surprise, aware of the warmth building in his chest as well as in his cheeks at the same time. While the notion was nice and he did miss their time secretly exploring the streets of Evadne... "Skipping class all together shouldn't be a feasible idea either!" he scolded, giving the other a small scowl.
While the Crown Prince tried to appease his best friend once again, Felix watched as that pink domestic atmosphere popped up around them once more and tried not to swallow the handful of sugar that was suddenly shoved into his mouth. Noah, seeing the other's rather ugly and sour expression, dropped his childhood friend onto the ground unrepentantly.
There was a dramatic groan from the deposited nobleman, but the Einion Heir ignored it just as he turned towards the Crown Prince and the Ice Prince. Once again, Noah was not able to read the subtle atmosphere between the two, and bluntly called out to Edward. "Lord Rosetta. There are new leads in concern towards the one named Smith."
Many of the members of the Einion family were involved in the military, whether it was within the country's Knight Orders, the local People's Militia, or as a member of the church's Holy Knights. Notably, with the exception of the Earl's own children, the majority of their children would be sent to the famous Gloria Military Institute in the southeast. Therefore, as the Earl's son, Noah was very well in touch with all manner of military matters. It was all too easy for him to learn about the kidnapping case from one of his relatives, considering how high-profiled it was.
Immediately, Edward snapped into attention, his ice-blue eyes turning even colder at the mention of the bastard that fled without so much of a whiff of his scent. Though he quickly excused himself from the Crown Prince's presence, Xander had planned to follow the other closely and learn more about the rare metal-based magician that disappeared if he wasn't pulled back by the Bergmann Heir.
"His papers are fake, the official seals magically copied most likely from the black market. No one in the Knight Orders or in People's Militia recognizes him. His name is probably fake as well," Noah informed in a quieter tone, making sure that his voice wouldn't travel despite how isolated their location was. Edward moved closer to him, his eyes narrowing as he pondered about the identity of the man who was bold enough to make trouble in the capital while the Queen was within traveling distance.
'Smith' had a rare variant earth-type magic so his identity shouldn't be unknown or unheard of. Not all countries were as open with their magicians and their magic as Astria. Their country has the largest concentration of magicians within the continent, but not necessarily the strictest laws on magic as well. Though a great majority of the country's population was mostly non-magical, magicians were easy to be found in many large cities.
Many magicians were involved with peacekeeping jobs, such as the Knight Orders or the local militias in other parts of Astria. It was not uncommon for some to turn into mercenaries or adventurers and to apply to guilds for jobs and pay. For someone with 'Smith's' skills, he should be well known within certain circles.
"Does there seem to be an idea of what his identity might possibly be?"
"Normal routes lead to dead ends. No guilds claimed him. His magic education might be foreign because all known metal-elemental magicians were Gloria's students and are accounted for."
"A spy?" Edward suddenly considered, the corner of his lips deepening further into a grimace. Certainly, if not for this incident, Smith would have remained undetected within their circle. So far that he was aware of, he had gone through several noble households before finding his way into Rosetta Manor. But then again... why would he risk his position by agreeing to a kidnapping commission? What would that accomplish?
"No evidence. Too many factors not piecing together for that conclusion," Noah admitted as they both traveled further towards the academy, almost leaving the other two behind. Xander wanted to catch up and join the conversation but Felix continued to hold him back. Reluctantly, the red-haired teen allowed himself to fall back; Sir Einion wasn't saying anything new or surprising since he was given a very comprehensive report about the incident from his father before his return.
Felix leaned towards him in a posture that reminded Xander very much of the gossiping maids that he would sometimes see huddling together as they were working, causing the Prince to raise an eyebrow.
"So..." the Bergmann Heir started off in an unnecessarily dramatic fashion. "We saw McGowan, that weasel, being a creep as he followed our dear Eddie into the forest, just like how a goblin would bide their time to snatch a fair maiden--"
"Felix... that's politically incorrect and very offensive to the goblin race. You know they find our appearance repulsive..." Xander pointed with something akin to exasperation in his tone.
In response, an affronted sound came out of Felix's mouth, as if he should be the one offended instead. "The only reason they think we're ugly is because they have stuffed themselves in a dark, smelly cave and couldn't tell the difference between a gem and a rock even if you shove it in front of their bulbous noses."
The heir to the throne furrowed his auburn eyebrows, mostly in skepticism and incertitude. "But goblins have night visions--"
"The point is!" Felix exclaimed in frustration, trying to redirect their conversation back to the main topic. "I mean, Eddie doesn't look worse for the wear-- to be fair, knowing our dear Ice Prince, the scoundrel has probably turned into a cold, hideous addition to the landscape. But apparently, McGowan seems to have some dirty tricks under his cheap, gaudy sleeves."
Obviously, the handsome youth found the other distasteful, partly influenced by their families' rivalry and general dislike of each other, and continued to throw mud onto Allister McGowan's name and reputation. Though the subject had changed from its original point, Xander could tell that the other was sincerely concerned about Edward's well being. His expression softened, briefly turning his scarlet eyes to gaze onto his best friend's confident back before giving the wealthy heir a grateful smile.
Though Edward's and Felix's personalities tend to conflict more times than not, it wouldn't be a stretch to call them friends. All four of them attended classes together since they were about ten, brought together by the status they were born into and their parents. Their personalities were like East and West, North and South; no one could imagine how well they had gotten along with each other.
"McGowan didn't even get within reaching distance before Edward froze his feet to the ground," Xander partly boasted with a prideful tint in his smile. He remembered how difficult it was for Edward to even cool the air when they were but six-years-old but now, his magic could create a limited imitation of Kaltsblut's terrible, icy wastelands, much to his mother's approval.
Felix, delighted by Allister's misery, brightened, his good-looking features becoming more prominent with his good mood. "Ha! If there's one thing a gentleman could count on, it would be little Eddie's cold temperament! That dullard McGowan has been spoiled dumb by his grandfather's favor and doesn't believe in consequences. His lack of common sense astounds me!"
Xander gave a chuckle but didn't refute the other's statement. Rather than lacking common sense, Allister McGowan took after his grandfather's paranoid personality. But while Marquis McGowan handled his paranoia with calmness and clarity, his grandson panicked and ended up making too many excessive choices.
The Marquis had always been a careful man. Rarely did he allow loose ends or irreparable mistakes to be made and had a ruthlessness that made his enemies and his acquaintances tremble in fear. His grandson seemed to follow this ruthless trait and once he perceived the Rosetta Heir encroaching on his business, his first reaction was to cut the other off completely. It was a careless and hasty judgment, one that added a lot more white hairs to his grandfather's head.
"McGowan should've just stuck to the Marquis' coattails," the Bergmann heir continued as he looked at the backs of his childhood friend and the Ice Prince. "Obviously he's incapable of managing his own affairs."
The Crown Prince had a vague smile with many different meanings. "That's only because Edward is too competent."
The Justice Bureau was created by the (unwilling) collaboration and (reluctant) approval of several noble families in order to minimize corruption and abuse of power with the Royal Family, the Rosetta's, the Bergmann's, and the Einion's being in the forefront of the project. While the King was kind and benevolent, he was also strict and authoritarian when it came to the matters of the country. The first few years of his rule were considered the most unspeakable time for many officials and noble families. While His Majesty did not have the heart to give out death penalties, he left no stone unturned and imprisoned a good amount of Astria's nobility with charges of treason, embezzlement, murder, and other heinous acts. The trial was public and those who were implicated lost much of their reputation and status. One of the few noble families that came out relatively unscathed was the McGowan Family, most due to the efforts of the current Marquis.
Because the Marquis kept his business separate from the messy affairs of the Mad King, his illegal activities remained out of sight. By the time the Justice Bureau investigated his circumstances, the evidence had burned to ashes, disappeared, or was already ten-feet underground. Since they could not implicate the Marquis with anything, the investigation team had no choice but to leave the case cold and the McGowan's free.
A couple of decades later, Marquis McGowan continued to evade scrutiny and it was thought that as long as the elder was alive, no one would be able to uncover his past and ongoing misdeeds. Then the meticulous eldest son of the Rosetta's, who had started interning in several different government departments earlier this year, had considered investigating the marquis through different means.
If Marquis McGowan was an impenetrable steel wall, layered and layered with reinforcement and pitfalls, his grandson was a brick wall built by an amateur, full of holes and cracks. As the only heir acknowledged by the elder man, it was expected that the marquis would be teaching Allister the in's and out's of the family business. Probably nothing too substantial until he graduated from Evadne, enough for a foundation of sorts.
Edward's investigation over Allister McGowan's activities was an informal one. It could barely be considered important over all the other things that took up most of his attention, but it was still the best lead they had on the cunning, old marquis.
The 'Help' that the eldest son of the Rosetta's had hired to follow Allister probably underestimated the teenager because at one point, their classmate had noticed the tails observing his every move. They were not sure how he tied it in with Edward, but before they were aware of their classmate's malice, the McGowan heir had already contracted a hit against the Prime Minister's son.
Of course, Edward was more offended by the sloppiness of the decision than the fact that his classmate of 6+ years tried to have him kidnapped outside of the city. Since Allister was the infamous Marquis McGowan's grandson and heir apparent, he probably expected to confront someone more... calculative. And mature. Someone who could lead the investigators and tacticians in circles and not a young teenage boy who was just playing around with illegal businesses.
Felix snorted with a gleeful tint in his dark-blue eyes. "Goddess forbid that the Crown Prince's right-hand man is incompetent," he declared with a boyish grin, tilting his head slightly as his long bangs slightly brushed over his eyelashes."What are we going to do with McGowan by the way? Just let Eddie freeze him to death and be done with it?"
Xander paused in mid-walk for a couple of seconds, his crimson eyes glancing at the bright, golden hair at the back of his best friend's head, before continuing with a small grimace. "The Marquis won't allow his heir to be harmed. And we have no concrete proof that young McGowan is involved. The men we had arrested were hired by a third-party. That third-party somehow mysteriously disappeared."
"What about the Gullfaxi horses? Certainly they can be traced back to their owner! Those horses are not something any noble can have!"
The Prince sighed while touching his forehead in a resigned manner. "Oh, they belong to the McGowan's. But the Marquis somehow pulled out an official larceny report with the Royal Knights stating that his horses had been stolen weeks ago."
"Tch! How sly!" Felix grumbled. How sly indeed. To think that the Marquis could turn things around even with all the mistakes that his grandson had made. "Wait, how the every loving goddess was he able to procure--"
"Yes. More than likely, there's someone under the Marquis' thumb hidden within the Military Department," Xander admitted with a pinched expression. "While it's a headache for my father and the Justice Department, the Investigation Department is looking forward to weeding them out." After all, the Marquis had slipped through their fingers more than once without even leaving a piece of crumb to follow his trail. To compare them to bloodhounds catching a whiff of an injured prey would be an understatement of their eagerness. At this point, it was a matter of pride rather than justice to the majority of the old investigators that had been working on McGowan's criminal ring for decades.
"And Eddie's going to be in the middle of it," Felix uttered with certainty, because as long as the matter involved the nobility and the Royal Family's reputation, then of course the Rosetta Heir had to be in the thick of it.
"No. Absolutely not," the red-haired prince immediately denied with a deep frown, his voice lowering into a hush so that his best friend wouldn't be able to hear his words over his conversation with Einion's young heir. "Edward has done enough. The Investigation Department would be more than happy to take over where he had left off."
"...Yes. I know you're completely whipped by our dear Eddie," the Bergmann heir drawled, pressing down the urge to laugh when the Crown Prince of one of the most powerful kingdoms on the continent tripped over a protruding root on the ground and almost proceeded to faceplant into the nearest tree. "But Eddie's the type that hates to leave things halfway. No matter how much he adores you, he's pretty stubborn on these types of things."
Xander was still sputtering by the time he straightened himself up, and while he wanted to address the first comment, he decided that it would be better to feign ignorance. "My father agreed that Edward is still too inexperienced to try to confront Marquis McGowan." Though... his mother thought differently but that was not something others needed to know. The Queen was the type of person that considered violence to be the solution to every problem anyway and his mother had more than once suggested giving the Marquis a 'nice punch in the gut' to straighten the other's behavior. "After classes, I'll take Edward to the palace so that we could discuss our concerns towards his involvement... Wait, adores me?"
In mid-explanation, Xander suddenly brightened, his ruby-like eyes sparkling as if the other had spoken of world peace and the end of poverty.
Felix: "........." Is that what you're focusing on, Your Highness? And what's with that excited look? Does it look like there's anyone else in this whole continent who could easily pull the Ice Prince of Nobility into braiding their hair as if they're 13-year-old girls?!
"Yes! He adores you!" the handsome young man disclosed maybe a bit too loudly, causing the Prince to take a quick look at his best friend in panic before trying to shush his dramatic companion, which Felix ignored with a mischievous grin on his face. "In actuality, he reveres you! Worships you! Put you on top of a pedestal as if you are a deity of Saint Evadne and had led the country to prosperity under her name--"
Xander scrambled towards the big-mouthed young nobleman, his calloused hands diving towards the other's unrepentant grin, but in his haste, he underestimated his jump and ended up tackling his classmate into the nearby bushes. One of them, maybe both of them, may have released some very unflattering sounds from their throats as they crashed into the foliage. And if Felix had squeaked when a branch poked into a very awkward place, the red-haired teen decided to be gracious enough to ignore it.
"Your Highness?!" Edward called out in concern since their inelegant tumble was rather noisy enough to interrupt their conversation.
Both the Rosetta and the Einion heirs backtracked until they found both of their childhood friends awkwardly tangled together inside of a shrub. And the more they tried to struggle away from each other, the more mishaps they created.
"Your Highness, you're crushing me--!"
"My Apologies Lord Bergmann! I-I'm afraid my hair is caught on one of your jewelry..."
"Don't move so suddenly--" There was a painful groan, probably caused by a limb being pressed in an unfortunate place.
"My--My apologies! I did not mean to lose my grip!"
Edward looked at this pitiful mess and released an exasperated sigh from his lips. "...Your Highness, what are you doing?" He questioned, not expecting an answer considering that said person was busy trying to unravel from the Bergmann heir without making any more casualties on their pride. The blond-haired teen could only step forward to help while Noah did the same as well.
"...Felix," the generally quiet young man called out, causing his childhood friend to squawk indignantly.
"What did I do?!" Recognizing that his larger companion was scolding him, even if the dull-toned Einion had only said his name, the Heir to the richest lineage in the kingdom pouted like a child who was wronged in front of their parents. "The Crown Prince was the one who attacked me out of nowhere!"
"And you probably deserved it too," Edward mocked, helping them both out of the bush while also trying to unravel the piece of red-hair that was caught onto one of Felix's shiny buttons. It seemed that the strands were attached to one of Bergmann's clothes in the most frustrating way possible, and being under the shades of the canopies, even with the brightness of His Royal Highness' hair, it was difficult to see the root of the problem. Coincidentally, in order to observe at a better angle, he leaned down and moved his face only inches apart from the front of Xander's nose.
The Crown Prince of Astria froze, his eyes wide as if the Goddess had descended from her realm, and above the two of them, Felix made an expression full of regrets. Noah, the only one who saw his childhood friend's unsightly face, patted him on the shoulder as if to say 'you reap what you sow' though the Bergmann Heir was quite sure the larger young man was misinterpreting the situation.
Somehow, none of them were late for homeroom.
--------------
Edward wished he followed Xander to the Royal Palace, but the invitation was too sudden and his paperwork was too numerous. Not only did he take on the responsibility for reimbursing the store owners and the people involved in their little chase for damages and medical attention, but he also had to hand over all of his findings on the Marquis to the Investigation Department. Most of his notes on the case were organized but not completed or refined. A famous investigator from the coastal city of Sachiel was invited to peruse over the case against Marquis McGowan, but the eldest son of the Rosetta's knew that everything was circumstantial at this point and even if they do find the mole within the Military Department, it was difficult to say whether they could get anything substantial from them.
Along with those duties, his father had dropped the matter of his Mother's Uncle's Wisteria Estate onto his workload. Including any necessary renovations, work transfers, supplies, and furnishing, he was responsible for its upkeep and household affairs.
Up until recently, he had never heard of Wisteria Estate. He wasn't aware that his mother owned any properties at all; she was the third daughter of a lower nobility and while her dowry was grand because of her marriage to his father, a Duke, her family probably didn't see her fit to manage any real estate. Except, her Uncle, who Anais never mentioned before-- at least, she never mentioned him in front of Edward.
Usually, since it was his mother's affairs, like he had done with every request she had given him, he would oversee the task with a stoic air and an indifferent attitude, but this time...
Blinking out the dryness from his eyes, Edward turned his seat around to look outside of the window behind him, the gardens; a splash of color in his otherwise monotonous room. His personal office was in the East Wing not too far from his father's study. It's from his window that he could see the West Wing and since the glass panes were crystal clear and often wiped clean, he could easily see the maids and butlers bustling about, carrying boxes and items and moving furniture downstairs so that they could be taken to Wisteria Estate.
A migraine made itself as he watched the busy servants and Edward gestured for Mr. Hughes to pour him a cup of coffee. Knowing what he liked, the butler added five cubes of sugar and a dash of cream before placing it on the only spot unoccupied by papers.
He took a small sip, added another cube, and didn't even bother to let it dissolve completely before gulping the whole thing down. Though his mouth was full of sweetness, his mood continued to be irritable.
His younger brother had already developed an independent life away from the rest of the family, their relationship more like distant neighbors than relatives, but his mother still felt uneasy enough to make such a scheme behind his back!
Thomas was a thirteen-year-old boy, a child who was very dependent on the servants to take care of his needs and health. Sending him off to a different estate, one that had been abandoned for years and in a state that required heavy renovations, was obviously an attempt to isolate him from the family affairs. Which was ridiculous because he was pretty sure the current Thomas had no interest in their family affairs. In fact, his younger brother right now was busy recovering from an unknown illness that had him bedridden for weeks, so of course, he had no time, nor energy, to care about their family affairs.
Where his mother had gotten the idea that Thomas had to be sent away, when she herself hadn't seen her husband's youngest son in months, Edward had no clue. The eldest son was well aware that Anais Rosetta tended to be... unreasonable in concern towards the youngest, but somehow throughout the years, she had forgotten that her 'enemy' was a child barely entering puberty.
Edward was not particularly close to his mother. Neither was his sister, though she had a better affinity with Anais. Their father was the one that raised them the most between the two parents and even then, it was more of a joint effort between him and the Royal Family. Maybe it was because of their grandfather that they were so close to His and Her Majesty because the eldest son found it to be quite normal to visit the Royal Palace five days out of the week either to meet with the King, the Queen, or the Crown Prince or to have dinner at their table. The offer was often extended to the rest of his family as well, but Katherine... seemed to actively try to avoid it. His father always declined each time and if his father wouldn't go, his mother didn't have the face to go by herself. Thomas...
He never had a proper conversation with Thomas before to even mention the invitation. He should extend the offer when the other's health was hardy enough to bear the Queen's rowdiness...
Either way, his feelings in concern towards his parents were... disappointment. More so towards his father, because he did not expect much maturity from his mother. What child didn't idolize their parents? And Edward very much looked up to his father no matter his cold face and reticent personality. Kyron was pulled into the office at a very young age, immediately taking over after his father's, Alexander's, death, and though he was criticized and denounced due to his 'inexperience', his efforts brought Astria's administration to new heights.
When King Charles occupied the throne after a short but arduous secession war, he immediately created a foundation for his future policies with the support of several noble families, including the Rosetta's who were at the forefront of implementing the changes to all the governing departments.
Despite the opposition and the difficulties made by other nobles who weren't happy with Charles Windsor's enthronement, Alexander scrubbed the whole palace clean until there was barely anything left from Dominus' reign and then proceeded to clean up the rest of the kingdom under the new king's banner. This momentum hasn't slowed down even when Kyron took over his father's duties. Instead, it increased exponentially and forcefully silenced any dissenters still looking to make trouble.
His father had a heavy hand in today's political environment and became one of the most powerful people in the kingdom through his own efforts. There was never a day Edward didn't admire his father for it, but while Kyron's professional life was brilliant and full of praise, his home-life...
Edward lifted his hand to cover his eyes, blocking out the sunlight streaming through his windows. It also served as a barrier from the pile of paperwork on his desk.
The only reason Edward could think of as to why his father would go along with this inane idea was that it gave him a reason to avoid his youngest even further. Nevermind that Thomas was not at the age to live apart from his parents... even if he was already doing that while being in the same living space as them. Regardless, if his father could manage several governing departments on top of managing his own estates and fortune, why couldn't he handle taking responsibility for his wife and children?
Maybe this thought was too unreasonable because Edward was well aware of how little time his father had for himself, much less for other people, but still...
The Rosetta heir nearly jumped when his desk shook, accompanied with a large thump that landed heavily on the wooden surface. Seeing another pile of paperwork suddenly appear in front of his face, Edward made a very childish and unwilling expression.
Seemingly ignorant of his mood, his butler, Amir Al-Amin, stood in front of the desk with a perfunctory smile as if he hadn't doomed his employer another few hours of work.
"...What is this?" Edward asked reluctantly after a few seconds of grim silence, because other than what was already on his desk, there shouldn't be any more work that needed to be taken care of until the next day.
Mr. Al-Amin's smile seemed to grow more beatific as the words, "Work transfer requests," flowed from his lips as if he was spewing poetry instead of reciting a head-splitting spell to end the rest of his free time for today. Edward had the urge to uncharacteristically face-plant onto the surface of his custom-ordered desk.
Considering the staff's fondness towards his younger brother, it brought Edward no surprise that a good chunk of them wanted to follow his brother to Wisteria Estate. He had already made arrangements for Ms. Baker to stay by Thomas' side since he couldn't imagine that she would be content being anywhere else, but the rest had to be considered carefully. After all, Wisteria was a much smaller property and didn't need as many people to manage compared to Rosetta Estate. On the other hand, his youngest sibling needed a fair share of people to look out for him or else the eldest would worry whether the other would starve just out of laziness.
In truth, despite its size, Rosetta Estate didn't need many servants either. Most of the rooms were unused and they didn't invite many people into their homes. And even if they did, they weren't allowed to freely explore the estate grounds. Their mother enjoyed being catered by many people but the rest of them found it needlessly complicated. For some reason, Katherine had some strict requirements for the maids by her side and only a few of them were approved by her. His father often handled sensitive documents so the fewer people by his side the better. Only Sir Volkov and his father's personal butler since he was a child, Mr. Beck, would ever be allowed to serve his father. Edward was in the same position as well and could only allow a couple of trusted attendants to manage his needs. So the rest were hired for house chores and to tend to the gardens.
Not to mention, the West Wing would be completely empty once his brother was relocated and they would only need to assign a few maidservants to occasionally dust the rooms. Everywhere else might need several more servants than that but the Rosetta's were rarely home other than for food and sleep, so there was not much for them to clean in the first place.
Either way, it's a delicate balance he had to juggle with. Especially since Wisteria Estate was originally his mother's property, therefore she had more power over the situation than he would have liked.
Frankly, as long as they had enough time to hire and train more attendants, it was not a problem if they let all of those people follow the little one to the other side of the city, but the entire decision was too sudden. Edward couldn't have too many of their staff transferred all at once without filling in the gaps of their absence, and then there was the problem with the budget.
'In order to educate Thomas on responsibility,' so his mother had explained to him when he first had to listen to her ridiculous idea, she decided to give it a spending budget. Which meant that if Thomas ever decided that he wanted to make changes to the property or hire more workers, he had to consider whether it was within his limits to do so. Of course, Edward definitely knew it was just an excuse to make things more difficult for the youngest, but it didn't change the fact that anyone working in Wisteria Estate would have their salaries cut significantly and the more people that went, the less they were paid.
Many of their employees relied on their paychecks to feed themselves and their families so that narrowed down the choices that Edward could pick from the list. Notwithstanding, he would have to see if there were people that were willing to be paid less in order to follow his brother.
"Please put them aside for now. I need to consider what would be an acceptable living wage and then calculate how many servants could be transferred to Wisteria without risking the supply budget."
"Yes, Young Master," the Zafarian replied with an even tone, his expression unchanging as he took the large pile of paper without even disturbing its balance. But as he moved them away, he grabbed a couple of documents on top before presenting them to the younger man. "Excuse, Young Master, but the Lord requests that you would see to these forms first before finalizing anything."
At the mention of his father, Edward raised an eyebrow before taking the papers from the butler's hand. By just taking a glance, he could tell they were transfer documents for Henry Volkov, which caused him to blink a few times in surprise. While Sir Volkov had reached his seventies, he was still considered middle-age to most magicians. He aged like fine wine and was still one of the most revered battle magicians in the military. Though his father started to lessen the butler's workload in order to prepare him for retirement, there were no plans to cut him off completely from the estate matters.
Edward thoroughly scanned the papers more than a few times and realized a discrepancy within the information provided.
Though Sir Volkov would be transferred to Wisteria, probably as a foreman for his father, he would be under a separate payroll by using the Duke's personal accounts. In the first place, Henry Volkov was never under the family's paycheck and had always been paid personally by his father, emphasizing his importance within the estate. Therefore, even if they moved him to Wisteria Estate, it won't affect his income and he would be out of his mother's realm of influence.
The eldest son of the Rosetta's was the type to grasp an opportunity when it was presented to him and this unexpected loophole presented him considerations he hadn't thought of before. In order to maximize the benefits Thomas could receive, taking a few servants under his wing wouldn't go amiss. At the very least, paying Ms. Baker for her time and care would only be better in the long run. It was not likely that she ever abandoned their youngest but there was no need to make her suffer while doing so. There were also a few others he could think on top of his head that he could support for the time being until his mother had finally lowered her guard; Mr. Hernandez, Ms. Antonia, Mr. Sven, Ms. Herring, and many others were the first to shove their transfer papers onto his desk and he was inclined to validate their requests. Along with them...
Edward considered whether to send a couple of his own people to Wisteria as well. While he had great confidence in the staff's (especially Ms. Baker's) abilities to take care of Thomas, they tended to... spoil the youngest. No, to be accurate, after the incident, they treated him like a terminal patient who only had a month to live. Everything he did, whether it was just yawning or lifting his hand, was looked upon with caution and apprehension, and everything he asked for, whether it was a cup of water or an extra pillow, was regarded as a holy mission from the Goddess herself. If their attitudes before could be considered indulgence, then what could he call their extremely attentive behavior now?
"...How is Thomas doing with his treatment?" Edward asked after a couple of minutes; it was probably best not to linger over the servants' mental state for too long, especially when he sympathized with their worries over the little one all too well.
Since Mr. Al-Amin was the only one out of the three of them who had recently seen Thomas, the dark-skinned butler answered promptly with his abyss-like eyes lowered in a servitude manner. "Young Master Thomas is doing his exercises diligently with the help of Ms. Baker. So far, the young master is on the road to recovery."
Thomas' fever broke over a week ago, but being bedridden for a long time left him very weak and unsteady. Dr. Ainsley suggested starting some simple exercises to get him back on his feet, though his brother never had a lot of strength to begin with. Especially since everyone seemed to be inclined to carry him wherever he went...
Regardless, even though it was a relief to see the little one's health improving, no one was sure how Thomas was able to become better after weeks of no change. Dr. Ainsley's last visit was filled with bafflement and astonishment. After examining his brother from the top of his head to his toes five times more than necessary, she had no choice but to agree that his fever had disappeared and that everything else seemed to be running smoothly as well. They put the youngest on observation for the past week, the maids and butler taking special care to make sure that the child wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest, but so far, a relapse didn't occur.
Every other day, Dr. Ainsley would make a visit to the estate with a deranged look on her face that usually spelt trouble for the concerning party. Edward was pretty sure she took more blood than was needed for her tests and some other samples that should probably not be mentioned in polite company. In the end, she didn't seem to be finding anything worth noting and had been glaring at his brother (his younger brother's body, to be more specific) as if it had offended her.
Otherwise, she had warned them early on that while the symptoms had disappeared, that didn't mean the core problems were gone. It was quite possible that something had triggered an adverse reaction within Thomas' body. Or maybe it was an affliction passed down by blood, most likely from the child's maternal family, but there was no way for them to find out since the youngest's birth mother was of unknown origins and currently inaccessible.
Edward hummed, tapping a finger on top of Henry Volkov's transfer documents. "His fever hasn't made another appearance?"
"No, young master. None has been reported."
Looking over at the dark-skinned butler, taking in the Zafarian's sharp features, a thoughtful idea emerged from the back of his mind. He turned his eyes towards the paperwork in front of him, leaning back as his head unconsciously tilted out of contemplation. "How would Mr. Al-Amin feel about doing a long-term assignment for me?"
Out of all of his personal attendants, Amir Al-Amin was the only one familiar and close enough with his younger brother's habits and personality. Though he had corrected Mr. Hughes' behavior towards the youngest Rosetta, his attitude towards Thomas was rather indifferent and reluctant. Everyone else had some interactions with him as well, but they were rather brief and distant.
Amir paused half a second at the mention of the 'assignment', straightening the stack of paperwork left off the side before making a perfect 45 degree bow with an elegant hand on his chest. "This servant would be honored by any task the Young Master would give him."
"I see." Edward ice-cold eyes return his gaze back to the Zafarian, a flash of satisfaction and relief passing his normally dead expression. Thomas was fond of Mr. Al-Amin, for whatever reason, and while the butler's attentiveness was one the reason why he had chosen him as his liaison for Wisteria Estate, his uncanny skill to get his stubborn younger brother to listen to reason was the deciding factor.
Thomas was normally very obedient and docile-- unless it gets in the way of his lazy schedule. While not a difficult child to take care of, he was unexpectedly a difficult patient.
His sickness left his appetite to suffer, so it was like a battle to make the child take in even a mouthful of food. Thomas was also the type that never complained about pain or suffering so they could never pinpoint when to comfort him. It took a lot of coaxing to have his brother perform a simple exercise for physical therapy and then, during the time he should actually be resting, he would get out of his bed and walk around the manor to give the rest of them a heart attack!
The only ones who didn't have to suffer through these trials were Ms. Baker and Mr. Al-Amin. While Edward understood why Ms. Baker was an exception to Thomas' childish behavior, he wasn't aware that his brother and his butler were close enough to the same extent as the youngest's personal maid. Considering how unempathetic the Zafarian was with the little one's bedridden state, beyond accompanying him in his visits, the eldest son didn't think they were particularly affectionate or friendly. He thought Mr. Al-Amin only treated his younger brother with the same professional indifference that he had treated everyone else with.
Maybe Thomas was the only one under the impression that their relationship was the good-natured kind, but if meant that his younger brother would stop stalling his recovery, then Edward didn't mind using this impression to his advantage.
"As you are aware, Thomas is moving to a new residence under my mother's instructions. I would like for you to follow my brother to Wisteria Estate and keep an eye on his situation. Report any unusual activities that might come your way," because he couldn't expect his mother to leave grudges behind even after she exiled said grudge to the other side of the city, "and I also expect a report every other week of the estate's ongoings."
Mr. Al-Amin didn't seem to find the assignment disappointing or surprising and uttered in a low voice, "As you command, young master."
The acceptance was quick and easy, and Edward would normally find it dubious, but the Zafarian wasn't the type of butler that liked to stay close to their master's side and serve them in an overt manner.
When the eldest son first hired Amir Al-Amin as his personal attendant, he made sure the young man was well aware he intended to use him for matters that needed to be done in the dark. Mr. Al-Amin was suspiciously familiar with how things worked in the underground. Obviously, the Zafarian had his own goals in mind when he came out of nowhere and allowed himself to be hired as a manservant for a noble family, but his intentions had yet to be hostile towards their family. Edward wasn't naive to think that wouldn't change in the future but for now, they would just continue to use each other until an impasse had been reached.
Mr. Al-Amin's face was partly hidden by the fringes of his hair, making it impossible for Edward to read his thoughts or attitude, but that was fine. Neither of them were simple characters and the Rosetta Heir was not interested in what lay deep within the Zafarian's consciousness. At least, not now.
"Go pack your belongings. I'll take care of the proceeding paperwork." Just as Edward was about to dismiss the other, a harsh bell tolled from the clock in his office, signaling the start of the new passing hour. Automatically looking up at the timepiece, Edward saw it was the beginning of the fifteenth hour of the day. He suddenly recalled that since they were having difficulties in feeding his brother, Dr. Ainsley suggested small but frequent meals so that he would get the nutrients he needed and it should be time for Thomas to have one of those meals.
Taking a brief glance at the beautiful weather outside of his room and then at the heap of documents propagating on his desk. Usually, he would run through these piles without a break in between, but maybe due to both Thomas' and Xander's influence, a moment of reprieve suddenly seemed appealing to the teenager.
"...Before that, please make a visit to the kitchens and tell the chef to make a second portion of Thomas' meal. Also tell the servants delivering the meals to move them to the pavilion closest to the lavenders. Some sun would do good for Thomas' health."
"Of course, young master," was the Zafarian perfunctory response as the young heir then made a dismissive gesture towards the butler. As Edward had his head turned away from the other man, the warm sunlight reflecting his normally chilly eyes, he didn't see the subtle perking corners of Amir's lips, full of satisfaction.
...--------...
Author's Note:
One more chapter until the end of this book/arc!!
So typically, the average length of a light novel would be around 50,000 words. That's like... five chapters, for me. And chapter 9 is half of that... So this novel is already around 180,000 words, and it's probably safe to call this Book 1. Or Volume 1.
After the last chapter, I'm going to take a 'break', which doesn't mean an actual break. Me and Editor-chan are pretty much going to do a big editing sweep and review the previous chapters to polish the story. That means any translational errors with other languages (Arabic, Italian, Spanish, etc.) mentioned by native speakers will be fixed accordingly. So if you see any grammatical errors (English or otherwise), please post a comment!
You'll probably see some changes in wording and maybe some changes in texts in order to make everything more streamline, but overall, nothing plot-wise should change.
Also, I have a couple of extras that I will post after the last chapter. I promise you that I won't laze on the first chapter of the second book, but these extras have been in the works for a long time so just bear with it.