Chương 100: Okay, You Two Have Fun

Even as an adult, there was something about stationery and organizational items that excited her. In her original world, she was the only one of her crafting friends who actually had their supplies and tools organized. She chalked it up to habit, as being organized and able to track where things were was a skill needed for her job. That carried over into this world, and so the morning after she got her crystal carrying case, she went to Anahata Island after brunch to show her masters.

She understood she was like a child showing off a new toy, but she didn't care. She was sure Master Ramos and Instructor Ignatius would understand. And they did.

"I should've thought of this when I was commuting to and from Lycée," Instructor Ignatius said.

"I can put several of these on my back or in the saddle bags when riding and keep everything organized."

"I liked it so much, I'm going to order a few more and see if there is a way to resize the compartments to fit different sized crystals," Tori said as she sat across from her now former Lycée instructor.

"Making them stackable and perhaps able to latch together in sets for more convenient transport is also something I want to try."

"Have you considered doing a lining of thin selenite at the base of each compartment to charge them when not in use?"

"I thought about that, but I was worried that the shaking of the crystals against it during transport could damage the selenite, since it's a softer crystal," Tori replied. The two lapsed into silence to think about other improvements that could be made. Master Ramos approached them with a wooden box piled with random crystal pieces.

"Lady Tori, these are all charged pieces from which you can pick. They will fit well into your carrying case," Master Ramos said. He placed the box on the table and reached into the front pocket of his leather apron to take out a velvet bag.

"And these are the crystals that can fit into your bracelet." Tori's eyes lit up and she moved her case to the side so she could look at the crystals offered.

"What do you recommend for my journey?"

"For comfort, as the weather is growing warmer, I suggest these air crystals, some ice calcite, and of course clear quartz to amplify the others," Master Ramos said, picking a few crystals out of the wooden box.

"Your bracelet should have crystals that will be useful in dire situations. You are a Marquis' daughter; you should always be prepared." Tori nodded and inspected each crystal he showed her. A few paces away, Piers was seated on a tree stump. On an actual chair next to him, Benedict the cat was sleeping on a cushion. When he tried to move the cat, both Master Ramos and Tori asked what he was doing; Benedict was already sleeping there. He frowned and took a seat next to the cat, on the stump.

"Master Ramos, are you not going to the Tetri Duchy, as well?" he asked. The old man continued to help Tori and Instructor Ignatius sort through crystals.

"No, I still have work to do here. And Benedict is still small. Who will feed him?" Tori glanced up and saw the corner of Instructor Ignatius' eye twitch. She held back a chuckle and organized the crystals laid out in front of her.

"Master, what about these seven?" Master Ramos looked over. He narrowed his eyes and pushed a few forward.

"Heliotrope is extremely useful in case there is an accident. It is also a rare crystal and difficult to find in most shops. Do you want to keep carnelian when it's no longer cold?" Tori thought for a moment.

"I do." She was bringing some aquamarine with her, black tourmaline, and a few rectangular pieces of obsidian she was carving Old Sulfae into to give to her brothers for safety. She moved her hands over her bracelet to replace some of the crystals and was stopped when she prepared to slip out the black crystal.

"No, you should keep that. That has the same effect as soot ink on charms," Master Ramos said.

"You may be able to use it." Tori looked down at the black crystal with the slight silvery sheen and gold flecks. She had a compact set of brushes and soot ink for charms and didn't think she'd need the black crystal, but agreed.

"What is it?"

"Velar, from the Old Sulfae 'velare'," Master Ramos said.

"Bring white howlite in your box. Lapis lazuli is also good." Tori examined the black crystal. Velare was the root for 'write'. Could she write with this? It didn't seem like ink... unless she crushed it into a powder? It took about an hour for her to finalize her array of crystals, and she realized that if she weren't careful, the case would get quite heavy. It had a strap to go across her body, but it could easily become bulky. Seeing the frown on her face, Piers tilted his head.

"Problem?"

"The wooden cases are probably best for stationary use, but they can get too heavy if I put too many things in them," Tori said. Piers reached out and lifted the carrying case at her side.

"I can carry it."

"No, it's not heavy right now. I'm just thinking about future use," Tori said, more to herself. The rest of the day went quickly, and Tori tried to get as much work for Viclya done as possible before packing her things for the trip. She mainly packed pants and shirts, as she knew she would be going out into the fields and touring a mine while there. It was more practical. She threw in two simple dresses suitable for the slightly cooler temperate weather of the Tetri Duchy, and corresponding shoes.

She had made it clear to Duchess Tetri that there would be no formal balls, though casual dinner gatherings were acceptable. Tori didn't want to have to haul a garment bag with a gown and all the accessories needed to go with it.

"Do you have everything you need?" Sebastian was seeing them off in the pre-dawn hours. Three carriages were prepared to take them to River View, along with both imperial knights and the two Guevera knights her mother sent.

"Yes, Instructor Ignatius has the papers regarding the crystals, Lady Idunn has information on our irrigation needs, and I have some standard contracts we can use should we decide to purchase aquamarines from the Tetri Duchy," Tori said, patting the satchel on her.

"I also have my crystals and snacks." Sebastian looked satisfied.

"All right. I'm going to go with Ewan back to Horizon and then see him off for his exam. Then I will leave Horizon directly to catch up."

"Don't rush," Tori told him with a firm look.

"We'll be there for a few days." Her brother nodded.

"Seb, we need to leave," Lady Idunn said from her carriage.

"It's still early, you can go back to sleep." Tori nodded in agreement. The sun hadn't risen yet. Tori had said her good-byes to her friends the night before and spent the night in her tent in the encampment, which was closer to the road. She watched her brother's face soften as he turned and walked towards the middle of the three carriages lined up.

"Honey, don't overwork yourself...." Tori rolled her eyes and ignored him. She walked past them to get to the last carriage. The footman opened the door for her, and Tori looked inside. A light crystal had been dimmed, but still provided enough light to illuminate the interior cabin. A pair of hands reached out to take her bags and Tori quickly handed them over before grabbing the handle on the side of the carriage and climbing in.

She sat down on the large, cushioned seat bench layered with quilts and soft, velvety pillows. Tori slipped off her shoes to get comfortable and just as she was curling up to lay on her side, her brother appeared at the door and instantly frowned.

"Why is he here?" Sebastian asked. Tori puffed up a pillow and didn't look at the man reclined across from her. Piers was sitting across from her on his side of the carriage, with his legs up and his back propped up by pillows. He quietly adjusted a thin quilt over his legs and his eye mask was pulled up, against his forehead.

"Piers has been assigned to inspect a village on the Tetri-Nordur border, so he's dropping me off since River View is on the way," Tori said. She rolled onto her side and tried to get comfortable.

"Tori, I got you an eye mask," Piers said.

"It will help you sleep." He pointed to a light blue piece of fabric on the small fold out table between them. Tori reached over and picked it up. It was soft and smooth, with a shine to it. Silver thread was used to embroider her initials.

"Thanks, Piers!" Tori beamed. She ran her fingertips along the material.

"Is this silk?"

"Yes, imported."

"You're the best-""Why can't you stay in Idunn's carriage?" Sebastian nearly choked from the doorway.

"Lady Idunn is tall and stretches her legs across to be comfortable," Tori said as she adjusted the eye mask ties. That carriage was smaller. If Lady Idunn stretched out, it would be difficult for her to do so, as well.

"And you're short. You don't take up that much room," her brother frowned. Tori sent him a small glare.

"This carriage is more comfortable!"

"The latest suspension has been applied and the seats were given new upholstery last month. The under-seat compartment now has a chilling and heating box for food storage," Piers said, matter of fact.

"I have been keeping small cream cakes for Tori here."

"You got me cakes?" Tori's eyes widened. She hadn't had breakfast yet and sat up immediately to begin searching the compartments beneath her seat. She quickly found her mini-cake and looked excited.

"You really are the best, Piers." Her brother did not stop frowning.

"Tori-""Sebby, we have to go," Tori said, reaching for one of the utensils in the table drawer.

"I will call you tonight to check in, when we arrive at the inn." Her brother's face reddened.

"You said you wouldn't!" he said, pointing to Piers. Piers furrowed his brows, looking a bit confused. Tori chewed and swallowed a forkful of strawberry cake.

"Sebby, the situation hasn't changed." Her brother looked at her suspiciously.

"You're certain?"

"Yes!" Tori frowned.

"I know what I'm about." Sebastian studied her face carefully, but eventually released the doorframe of the carriage. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Piers.

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing."

"Master, I've done nothing wrong." Sebastian let out a low grumble and Tori quickly put her small container of cake and fork on the table before scrambling to reach out and hug her brother, if only to placate him.

"Bye, Sebby, I love you!" She kissed his cheek and beamed before gently pushing him away and quickly giving the footman a nod to close the door. Sebastian looked at her with dismay as she waved at him from the window. The carriage jerked forward, and Tori continued waving until her brother could no longer be seen without sticking her head against the glass.

"What situation is Master talking about?" Piers asked, looking at her. Tori shrugged and reached for her cake.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She looked up from her food.

"Go ahead and go back to sleep. I'll dim the light crystal when I'm done with my cake." Piers gave her a small nod and pulled his eye mask down before slumping back in his seat. When Tori finished her cake, she put the used dish and utensil away, turned off the light crystal, put on her new eye mask and curled into a ball to sleep as long as she could. Their first stop was a few hours outside of Horizon, along one of the major trade roads. Tori had planned to stay at Axton's inns on their way to River View.

She had sent messengers out before final exams to secure rooms for her party, as inns along the trade roads quickly booked the day of and she didn't want to stay in another inn. Part of the reason was that she got special treatment with her crystal, and another was she was able to borrow the inn's kitchen to make small meals for herself and Piers. They had food testers with them, but she felt she had a bit of responsibility.

Piers hadn't really been outside of Horizon in part to his unwillingness to be around people. In her two years since waking up in Soleil, she'd been around the empire more than he had in his adult life and took it upon herself to watch over him. He was still the first prince of Soleil and she wanted to protect him where she could. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. At each inn, Tori was allotted the owner's suite, which always had more than one bedroom.

Piers always got the other and Tori shared her room with Lady Idunn willingly. In this way, her brother would not call and be upset, as there was 'a chaperone', and she could get to know her future sister-in-law better. By the time they reached River View, Tori had a better understanding of Lady Idunn and Sebastian's plans. After the experimental crops had settled, Lady Idunn would move to Presidio permanently.

"Will you get married before then?" Tori asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Lady Idunn gently brushed her hair.

"Likely, your brother has discussed marriage before the end of the year, but as the heir to a march, the wedding would be much more involved and complicated than most," Lady Idunn told her. Like Sebastian, Lady Idunn was also the eldest child in her branch family, but she had three younger brothers. All three were doctors; two were stationed with the Osten March's army and the last was a naval doctor on one of Soleil's island territories.

"Not only the ceremony, but the planning. We need to invite the other marches, of course. It would be rude of us to invite them suddenly. They must arrange their schedules and travel to Presidio." That was understandable.

"How long will it take to plan?"

"At least six months, if my cousin's wedding three years ago is taken as an example," Lady Idunn said.

"In his case, he needed to plan around the weather, as well. Long distance travel through Nordur in the winter is too dangerous." Tori pursed her lips.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" In her original world, Tori had been part of many weddings. Of course, her friends and family there didn't have an entire staff of people working for them. She saw Lady Idunn's face smile gently from her reflection in the mirror across from them.

"Seb and I are both blessed by Surgrid, god of Wisdom. Would you dance the ceremonial dance for him during the ceremony for blessings?" Surgrid's ceremonial dance wasn't as long as Phirus, the god of creativity and passion, but it was intricate with complicated steps. Victoria could do it blindfolded, and her body remembered.

"Of course! It would be an honor." Lady Idunn's smile widened. She finished brushing Tori's hair and leaned down, resting her head against Tori's affectionately.

"I am very happy to get a little sister like you." Tori flushed and tilted her head back.

"Thank you for taming my brother." Lady Idunn laughed and gave her a squeeze.

"All right. Let's go to sleep. Duchess Tetri is expecting us at noon tomorrow."

"Yes, Lady Idunn."

"I will be your sister soon. You can call me Idunn." She knew that the likelihood of the mine collapsing was small, but Tori still couldn't help but wish they had hardhats. Hardhats wouldn't do much if the mine collapsed, but it gave a feeling of security.

"Tori, is something wrong?" Idunn looked over and Tori lowered her hands from her head.

"Nothing!" she said.

"It's dusty down here. I'm worried that my hair will get... dusty." Admittedly, since she kept touching the mine walls to keep her steady when climbing down, her hands touching her head put more dust there. She turned her attention to Instructor Ignatius, who was at the head of their little group with one of the managers of the mine.

"What do you think, Instructor?" He turned around and Tori was almost dazzled by the elated look on his face.

"The quality is exceptional, my lady! We should-""Benedict." Idunn gave him a stern look to quiet him. No matter how excited he was, they still had to negotiate a deal. His enthusiasm could be used to keep up the price. Instructor Ignatius' mouth snapped shut. His eyes darted to the side.

"I mean... we should see if we can evaluate a few samples first." Tori raised a brow. She knew he could feel the strength of the crystals around them easier than she could. Still, she didn't say anything as they were led out of the mine. It was a large hole in one of the near-by mountains, about an hour's carriage ride from River View. Their first few days were spent visiting surrounding farms where aquamarines were being used to channel river water.

Lady Idunn and Instructor Ignatius dominated the conversation and Tori could only quietly listen and write her own notes. Irrigation was not her specialty, so she could only give her point of view as a crystal user. Still, the exchange of ideas helped them get over some problems they were having with their own experiments. Duchess Tetri had samples of their aquamarines, and a few other crystals, brought to the castle the day before.

The quality was as excellent as Instructor Ignatius told her, but Tori still wanted to see the mine. It took up most of the morning, but she was satisfied. Now came the hard part: contract negotiations. They were brought back to the town just below the mine, where many workers and their families lived. The administrative building for the mine was located there and for the better part of three hours, they hammered out the details.

Instructor Ignatius knew exactly what they wanted and had an exact estimate of sizes, units, and grades ready. Idunn was no stranger to the negotiation process and assisted Tori. Quotes were thrown out, dates were fixed, and the sales officer called Duchess Tetri twice. The Duchess wouldn't be where she was if her negotiation skills were lacking. On a personal level, both parties liked each other. However, this was business and there was a clear distinction.

In the end, the Duchess gave in to the price Tori insisted on and Tori increased their order.

"I didn't expect you to be so aggressive, Lady Tori," the Duchess chuckled over from the comcry. Tori smiled weakly. Usually, this sort of thing was managed by her company's procurement department in her original world. Her amount of negotiating was minor and more about time and supplies. The master agreements were already completed by the time such a thing reached her.

"I am only following the guidelines taught to me by my brother, Your Grace." After finalizing the documents, Tori prepared the payment slip for a down payment of the order. Once all their crystals had arrived at the delta and were checked for quality and approved by herself and Instructor Ignatius, she would pay the remaining balance. They shook hands with the manager and sales officer before heading back to River View.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would," Idunn said with a smile.

"The duchies are known for their shrewd dealings."

"Yes, but I was following Kasey's contract," Tori said.

"Kasey won't let me be at a disadvantage."

"Kasen never allowed others to take advantage of him," Instructor Ignatius said.

"Not even when we were in Lycée."

"Did you have him in one of your classes, Instructor?" Tori asked, her brows rising.

"Yes, and he was my roommate in Lycée." Tori tightened her lips. She loved her brother, but she couldn't help but feel sympathy for her instructor. They got into their carriage and began the ride back to their lodgings. River View was the ancestral estate of the Tetri family where they were staying. While it was updated and improved with the latest technologies over the years, the sprawling estate still maintained the original shape of the ancestral fortress home of the Tetri Duchy's royal lineage.

Before Soleil was an empire, it was a kingdom in the Central Corridor. The other influential kingdoms in the corridor were Alvere, Fekete, Tetri, Sinan, and Servana. During the empire's first stage of unification, these five other kingdoms were conquered by Soleil and forced to give up their sovereignty. However, if they swore allegiance to Soleil, they would be allowed to keep half their wealth, govern the area of their former kingdom, and most importantly, not be killed.

Survival was most important and the other five kingdoms were absorbed into Soleil and became the five current duchies. The exact people who conquered them on behalf of Soleil were Soleil's warrior class; the ancestors of the current four marches, and, thus, Tori's ancestors. Now she was there to lay claim to crystals and while her method wasn't violent, it was a bit painful. The contracts she had were put together by Kasen and he was brutal.

Their carriage trotted up the smooth path leading to the stone castle surrounded by newer buildings and elegant gardens. Tori looked out the window. The castle itself was built on a small hill overlooking the Tetri River, a feeder river into the Cosora River. It wasn't as wide or deep as it was further downstream, and seemed to come out from the hills and mountains in the distance. Rather than a single city or large town, a smattering of small villages dotted the area around River View.

The scenery was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the surrounding land was lush and green. It reminded Tori of Switzerland's Alps. The carriage went through an old stone gatehouse. The iron portcullis was raised and there were duchy knights stationed around the entrance. Then, they had to go up a slight winding road to get up the hill to the main outer courtyard of River View. The older parts of the castle were easily distinguishable from the more recent add-ons from building material to style.

Tori loved historical architecture and hoped to learn more about it when she was older and had time to explore Soleil and the rest of the game world. When the carriage came to a stop in front of the main doors, one of the Duchess' valets was waiting for them. The footman opened the door and Tori jumped out.

"My lady, your brother, Lord Sebastian de Guevera, has arrived and is waiting for your party in the garden," the valet said as he bowed. Tori mentally counted the days since they left. It took them approximately a week to arrive and Sebastian would've left five days after them. He caught up faster than she thought he would. She frowned.

"Mr. Vaude, please have the groomers check my brother's horse to make sure he is well rested after the ride here," Tori said. The valet gave her a nod of his head and signaled for another servant to come and carry out the orders before leading the small party inside.

"Lady Tori, I'm going to go back to my room and rest before dinner," Instructor Ignatius said.

"Please send him some coffee and snacks," Tori said to the valet before giving Instructor Ignatius an acknowledging nod.

"Yes, my lady. And would you like a bath prepared for you?" Tori tried not to cringe. Out of everyone who went to the mine, she was the one who looked as if she had rolled in the dirt.

"Yes, please." They followed the valet through the corridors of the castle to reach the inner garden.

"Sebby?" Tori squinted as she saw her brother seated in the gazebo of River View's garden. He was reading some papers and on the table next to him was a pot of coffee and some cups, as well as a two-tiered tea cake tray that was already empty. Her brother looked up and put the papers back on the table before standing up.

"Welcome back...." He trailed off as he approached them and narrowed his eyes.

"Why is there so much dust on you?" It was so visible because the dust was light, and her hair was black. Tori's lips tightened into a line.

"The mine had a lot of debris." She didn't move to hug him, knowing that her dusty clothes would dirty him.

"You arrived faster than expected. Is Victory all right?"

"Don't underestimate my horse," her brother said.

"He's the fastest in Presidio." She narrowed her eyes back at him.

"That's a bold claim."

"Well, it's true."

"Seb, how long have you been out here?" Idunn wasn't covered in dust as she was, and dared to raise her arms and lazily rest them around Sebastian's shoulders. He closed the gap between them and lowered his head to kiss her lips as his arms circled her waist.

"I arrived shortly after you left. I'd been riding all night, so I went to rest instead of coming after you."

"Good." Idunn leaned forward and nipped the tip of Sebastian's nose.

"I would be upset if you didn't." His hands ran up and down the sides of her body.

"Hmm... I don't want to upset you." Tori couldn't help the disgusted look on her face as she watched her brother and Idunn openly flirt in front of her. While she was happy that her brother was in love and enjoying his relationship, this wasn't a romance movie where she could cheer on the leads after shenanigans. This was her brother and his future wife. Tori didn't want to witness any more of this.

"Yeah, okay, you two have fun." She turned around and marched back into the castle.

"I'm going to clean up. I'll see you at dinner!"

"All right!" Sebastian sounded distracted and Tori shook her head. Before he fixed his relationship with Idunn, he had been much more overbearing. Idunn had proven an excellent distraction. Sir Aguilar and Sir Iturralde were waiting for her in the hall and escorted her back to her room.

"Do you know if my brother has his own room or is with Idunn?"

"My lady, we were informed that the young lord has a separate room," Sir Aguilar replied with a knowing smirk. Tori snorted.

"Technically." They reached her room in the guest wing's second floor.

"My lady, do you need assistance?"

"No, but let the servants in when they have my bath ready."

"Yes, my lady." Tori entered her room and immediately began taking off her satchel. She hung it on the back of the desk chair, but fished out her comcry and put it on the desk. She then went to the changing screen in the corner of the room to get out of dirty clothes and put on a robe. It didn't take long for a large wooden tub to be rolled in and then placed in a spot by the narrow window, where the sun could shine down.

Jugs of hot and cold water were poured in and then a thin layer of scented oil was drizzled on top. Some towels were placed on a small table beside it and Tori was left alone to sink into her hot, scented bath. We really need to get working on that bathhouse. With all this work I'm doing, I need it. I also want a massage. Tori sank into the water. I should treat myself on my birthday. She let herself relax until the water turned luke warm.

Then she climbed out of the tub and hunched over to rinse her hair thoroughly. Once she was satisfied, she began to rub her hair with a towel and walked to the door. She opened it a bit.

"My lady, are you finished?" Sir Iturralde asked.

"Yes, please send someone to retrieve the tub."

"At once, my lady." Tori slipped back inside and headed to the wardrobe. With a towel around her neck, she pulled open the double doors and looked at the dresses she had been provided. Duchess Tetri heard her interest in local goods and selected clothing that was made in the duchy and was a more typical style of the region. They were all relatively casual. Semi-formal dresses that would be fitting for their dinners. As she stood in front of the wardrobe and rummaged through, servants came to retrieve the tub.

They worked quickly and by the time Tori picked out a jade green dress with pistachio cuffs, collar, and embroidered detailing, it was as if the tub had never been there. She glanced out the window. There was still light out, but the sun was halfway below the horizon. She had plenty of time before dinner. Tori first tried to dry as much of her hair as possible before hanging her towel on the back of a chair and going to change. She grabbed one of her slips from a drawer and wiggled into the dress.

How did the Duchess get my measurements? Tori tugged the dress into place and furrowed her brows.

"Sir Iturralde! Sir Aguilar! Can you come and tighten my dress?" The door opened and the two women walked in. One stood by the door to guard it while the other walked to the changing screen to help Tori tighten the laces in the back and tie them. They were tucked in neatly and the second layer was put on.

"My lady, do you need assistance with your hair?"

"No, I'm just going to use a scarf," Tori said.

"We're not expecting a lot of people tonight. Sebby's the only newcomer." The knight nodded and stepped back before she and the other knight slipped back outside. Tori liked her privacy for the most part. With her dress on, she crossed the room to the vanity table in soft bedroom slippers. From the mirror on the vanity, she could see her desk. She started combing her hair when the flash of light from the comcry caught her eye. It can wait.... She continued to try to detangle her hair as gently as she could.

It was times like this when she missed her straight hair. Sure, it couldn't hold curls to save its life, but after a shower, she'd run her comb through a few times, and it was untangled and air-dried well. God, I miss low-maintenance hair.... Her first few weeks trying to deal with her hair by herself had been frustrating and her arms started to ache. She was faster at it now, but nowhere near as fast as in her original world.

As she focused on parts of her hair, she could see the crystal around the comcry flashing. She frowned. It hadn't stopped for more than a few seconds before it continued. Who was calling her so relentlessly? She felt her chest tighten. What if it was an emergency? Tori put her comb down before getting up and walking to the desk. She picked up the device and flipped the top open. Her brows furrowed as she saw the name. Angela Voss.

While Tori did have Madam Voss' comcry registered on hers, Madam Voss normally contacted Architect Ebbadottir, as it would usually be about quantities and technicalities with the orders. Her having Madam Voss' comcry was more a formality as they did business. Was she unable to reach Architect Ebbadottir? Architect Ebbadottir had a few months to go before she was on a Tori-imposed parental leave. Tori slid her finger across the glowing crystal.

"Hello, Madam Voss?"

"My lady?" Tori's curious expression hardened at once. She frowned and stood up straight as she heard the woman's shaking voice.

"Is something wrong?" She could hear Madam Voss' uneven, shallow breathing.

"My lady, please help. I don't know who else to ask." Tori's brows knit together.

"I will try, madam, but first you must tell me what's wrong."

"It's Alessa," Madam Voss choked out.

"She ran away from home two days ago and hasn't come back."