Chương 167: Animals Are Better Than People

The indignation was palpable, and Tori could only stand there, staring at the old man while wanting to both scream and throw the table at him in frustration. She couldn't find any more words to express herself, so she could only stare at him as the tiniest thought of 'don't hit the elderly' echoed in her head. The Emperor Emeritus froze as soon as he heard her accusation and seemed to realize he said something he shouldn't have.

His narrowed eyes, which were glaring at the comcry a moment earlier, widened as they drifted over to Tori.

"Ah! My back!" The old man's free hand flew to the side of his lower back as he hunched forward and made a pained groan.

"Father?" Tori could hear the Emperor still on the comcry.

"Are you all right?"

"I need to go sit down! Oh, I'm not as young as I used to be!"

"Grandfather, are you all right?" Tori snapped her head to the doorway and saw Piers arriving. His brows were knit, and Alexander was at his feet.

"Piers! My good grandson, take the Countess to rest. She's had a long day and I'm afraid I'm not in the position to assist her at the moment." The Emperor Emeritus let out a low, pained hiss as he hobbled to a wooden chair against the wall and awkwardly sat down.

"Father, tell Piers to assist you to your room-""Shut up, Mathieu-Philippe! I just need to rest!" the old man growled into the comcry before looking up at Piers and Tori with a pained, deflated expression.

"Quickly, now, Piers. Don't keep the Countess waiting!" There was a glint of urgency in his eyes. Tori didn't know if Piers saw it, but he looked at Tori and her indignant expression that had yet to leave her face. He seemed to think for a moment before getting closer and patting her shoulder.

"Come to the terrace. I will have them bring you iced coffee and cake." He's trying to pacify me! Tori choked back a gasp and bore her eyes into him. He avoided her gaze and continued to try to usher her out of the room.

"I'm not a child! You think coffee and cake will make up for my blood, sweat, and tears!?" He shrank back as he managed to get her to the doorway.

"I will get us swords and helmets. You can fight with me to release your anger." A guttural sound left her lips and she glared at him.

"You're one of the best swordsmen in the empire! I'm angry, not stupid!" Piers looked helpless and turned back into the room to look at his grandfather. Tori whirled around and the old man was slumped forward where he was seated, snoring. Her jaw dropped.

"Father? Father, are you still there? Did the call end?" the Emperor's voice came from the comcry on the floor next to the Emperor Emeritus.

"Is he pretending to sleep!?" Tori pointed at him accusingly and looked at Piers.

"Older individuals often get tired easily and-""I can't believe your family!" She stomped out of the room, ignoring Piers following her. Alexander meowed ahead of them and seemed to lead the way, meowing every few steps and looking back to make sure she was following. Tori didn't know where she was going. She was trying to contain her anger and frustration at the entire situation, so she could only blindly follow her cat. She didn't even realize she had walked out into the garden.

Alexander led her to a swing and meowed as he sat just beside it. He stood up on his hindlegs and put his front legs on the wooden seat, meowing once more as if urging her to sit. Tori gritted her teeth before sweeping down to pick him up and taking a seat on the swing. She brought her cat against her, and Alexander seemed to dutifully allow himself to be smothered. Piers was speaking quietly to a servant and the servant nodded and rushed off.

He walked closer to the tree where he'd installed the swing some time ago.

"Do you want me to push you?" he asked cautiously. She raised her eyes and glared.

"No. Hasn't your family pushed me enough?" He lowered his eyes and swallowed hard.

"What did my grandfather say to anger you?" She scoffed and looked up at him with a sneer.

"You don't know?" She stared at him, studying his movements and he seemed sincerely unsure. Tori narrowed her eyes.

"You really don't know?"

"Did he give you more work?" It was something she complained about often, so she could understand why Piers went in that direction. She took a deep breath and looked out at the garden in front of her.

"Yes. Or rather, he already gave me more work. He used the table and figured that he needed to assign the Cosora Delta to me."

"To be the Countess?"

"To resettle the refugees there for my Lycée project two years ago!" Tori snapped. Piers tilted his head to the side and looked down.

"To resettle the refugees or to give you the delta?"

"Isn't it both?"

"I don't know," Piers said, standing beside her. He didn't seem to know what else to say, so he was quiet. Tori kicked the dirt with her feet as she hugged her cat. Alexander kept purring in her ear and nudging her with his head, as if to try and soothe her.

"Animals are better than people...." she muttered. Piers shifted awkwardly and Tori pretended she didn't see the servants carry out a table, chairs, and set up coffee and a tea tray of pastries by the fountain. They put up an umbrella for shade and put cushions on the chairs.

"Tori, there is coffee and cake," Piers said in a quiet voice. She stood up, holding her cat and marched to the chair where a maid was waiting for her. She sat down.

"An iced coffee for you, my lady." A tall glass with a brown liquid and a base layer of sweet cream was slid in front of her.

"Would you like strawberry cake or blueberry scones?" Tori crinkled her eyes. How did everyone know she liked sweets when she was stressed? Was it that obvious? Now that she thought about it, Mama J always packed more sweet baked goods when it was an exam week.

"Cake...." The maid smiled and cut her a slice.

"Get Alexander's treats, as well," Piers said as he stepped closer.

"Tori, can I sit down?" She nodded once as she stabbed at the cake.

"Do you know how much work I had put in for that project? How much I stressed over it? How scared I was that I'd mess up and ruin people's lives?" Piers nodded obediently and didn't make a move to take any of the pastries. He shook his head when a servant stepped forward to pour him some coffee.

"You worked very hard."

"Damn right I worked very hard. If I didn't have a clue as to what to do, how would they have survived? How can you put the lives of so many people into the hands of an inexperienced fourteen-year-old? I don't care what the table said!"

"Father doesn't like to use the table," Piers told her.

"Does it even call to him?" she asked in a sharp voice before taking a bite of her cake.

"... no."

"Then it's not exactly a choice, is it?" Tori sneered.

"I understand that it's a tool, but something the size of that project should've gone to someone more experienced." Piers nodded and kept his eyes on the table.

"I will have them make it up to you."

"No. No asking for things. If I ask for things, they're just going to give me more responsibility because they think they can offset my troubles with something else," Tori told him firmly.

"I just don't want more responsibility than I have now. I have no time and already have my hands full. I'm not even finished with Lycée yet." Piers was quiet for a moment.

"Then after Lycée-""No."

"Okay." Tori muttered under her breath as she ate. Even if she wanted to stay angry, she calmed down. She fled to her room after her snacks and informed the maids that she was tired, so she would skip dinner. She already filled herself up on pastries anyway. It was best she avoided the old man for a bit. Can I ban him from Anahata Island? I'm going to tell Master Ramos.

Tori fell asleep that night holding an amethyst to calm herself and when she woke up, she readied herself for another day of dealing with Piers' family. As soon as she stepped outside of her room, she inwardly groaned.

"Guevera!" Gideon had been standing waiting in the hall for her and his face lit up.

"I was checking the menu last night and noticed that the spiral cut potatoes served at both Axton and Conner's birthdays was not on-""Did you look at the main serving menu or the a la carte table listings?" Tori asked. She walked past him to get to the dining room for breakfast. Gideon followed behind her.

"It was a list of what was going to be served. The bite-sized finger foods you spoke of."

"Then you looked at the wrong list. It's on the list of a la carte table offerings, along with the frozen fruit table." Gideon let out a breath of relief.

"That's wonderful! I know I had specifically asked for them and was worried you forgot."

"Is there anything else?" Tori asked as she let out a tired breath. She'd just gotten up and already she had to deal with Gideon.

"No, no, I know you're busy with today's preparations. I will leave you to your work." Gideon flashed her a smile and happily walked off. Tori started to miss several months ago, when Gideon didn't want to talk to her, and their communication was mainly arguing. He'd gotten too comfortable asking her for things.

"Did you not sleep well?" Piers rose from his seat as she entered the dining room. There were several empty place settings and Tori took the unused spot across from Piers. She turned towards the open French doors to the side and found Alexander was already sprawled across the pavement, basking in the morning sun.

"I just have a lot to do today," Tori replied. Someone came to put a plate of food in front of her and Tori gave them a small nod of thanks before picking up her fork.

"Do you need help?" Piers asked. He was holding some folders and seemed to be reading, but his plate only had a few sparse crumbs; proof he finished eating. Tori shook her head.

"It's fine." Piers frowned and lowered his eyes.

"Don't give me a party next year." Tori looked up from her eggs and raised a brow.

"What?"

"Next year. It's too much trouble. Don't give me a party. It will only encourage Gideon, and my parents will want to come to the delta again," he replied as he looked at the papers in his hand.

"It's too much work."

"If you don't want a party, what do you want to do?" Piers shook his head.

"We don't have to do anything. I don't mind. I will go to Ewan's party. I don't need a cake." Her shoulders slumped forward, trying to ignore the slight guilt in the pit of her stomach.

"Piers, are you sure? We can do something else if you don't want a party." He nodded and thought for a moment.

"Axton bought property on the Nord border closest to us. It takes three days to travel there and has geothermal baths. Do you want-""Yes."

"I didn't finish."

"Do I want to go to play in geothermal baths for a few days? Yes," Tori said in a firm voice. She loved hot springs. Every time she had the chance in Japan, she'd go. In Iceland, she'd make multiple trips to one. The thought of sinking into hot water while cold air kept her from overheating was one of life's greatest pleasures.

"I will tell Axton."

"Tell me what?" Axton stumbled in yawning. He ruffled Tori's hair as he passed her and took a seat next to her.

"I heard you bought property on the Nord border."

"Oh, yeah," Axton nodded and gave a small thanks to a servant who brought him coffee.

"You gave me the idea, so I've been looking. One of my stewards found a good spot and I bought a nice chunk of land in a narrow valley. It has some geothermal pools. When do you want to go?"

"Is it already ready for visitors?" Tori asked.

"No, that's why I'm asking," he replied with a grin.

"I'll have it ready once you tell me when you want to go."

"Next year's Spring Festival. It is a weeklong break. Fourth-year students are not required to stay to assist with the festival," Piers said. Tori perked up.

"We're not?"

"You're not required, but it's encouraged," Axton told her.

"Most people involved in activities and clubs will attend to assist their organization's exhibit or booth. The school doesn't advertise that fourth-year students aren't required so they will be in attendance." Tori raised her brows and nodded.

"JP and Sonia may participate in the Spring Three-Day... I'll consider it." After breakfast, the wagons from Viclya arrived with the games to set up. Tori was rushing around the courtyard directing various people and making sure all the preparations were in place. Gideon came to visit no less than half a dozen times to 'check', the last four times with Fabian.

Tori had to resist the urge to tell them to get out of the way so the palace staff could finish setting the tables and adjusting the outdoor light crystals and canopy. She could only turn to Piers and Axton, who were standing to the side, to send the second prince and Fabian away. An hour before the guests were scheduled to arrive, Tori rushed to bathe and change into party appropriate clothing.

It was a simple A-line dress, but made of expensive fabric and with bold blue colors and hit her just above the ankle so she could skate, if she wished. Her hair was pulled into an updo and as she was finishing with her shoes, Ilyana and Sonia came to her guest room. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"We all came at once. Did you know the second prince invited Alvere?" Sonia asked as she grasped the skirt of her dress and sat down on a plush chair to wait for Tori. Tori lifted her head.

"He invited Montan Alvere?"

"They were acquainted before. They were in the same excursion group," Ilyana said as she circled Tori to look at her dress.

"But were they close afterwards?" Sonia asked with a raised brow.

"Alvere always seemed like a loner." Ilyana wrinkled her nose and thought for a bit.

"Alvere works at Duel and the second prince hasn't missed a game night with the club there since he joined. Maybe he befriended him there?"

"It's his party. He can invite who he wants," Tori said. She tapped her shoe on her foot to make sure it was comfortable and then straightened up.

"All right, let's go." She led the two out and were escorted by the two knights waiting outside her door.

"How do you know that Alvere was invited?"

"He's here," Sonia said.

"We arrived just as he did. He was in the carriage that Duke Alvere made him use to commute to Duel." The carriage parked in a carriage house in the alley next to Duel along with SIG One when they were onsite, so they were familiar with it.

"Are they getting closer?" Ilyana asked, looking at Tori. Tori shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. I always feel uncomfortable bringing it up. If it's not something worrying, I usually don't mention Alvere to Axton."

"Their family is rather complex; I can see why." Sonia agreed.

"I was talking to Tiff and the others, and they said that he and his roommate seem to be getting along better now-a-days. If the club stays late, Alvere will take who he can with him in the carriage back to Lycée," Ilyana said.

"I didn't like him at first, but maybe he's not so bad."

"I hope he's not so bad," Tori replied. If Montan was there, then three of Alessa's love interests were present and surprisingly, Alessa was not. Tori wasn't sure what to do with this knowledge, but hoped it was a good sign. The three young ladies exited the palace from a side door and Tori led the way to the courtyard through the connecting gardens. Music could be heard coming from the party as the sun began to set in the distance.

"Oh... I'm not sure what I expected, but this looks lovely!" Ilyana put her hands together and beamed as they arrived at the courtyard and looked around at the strung light crystals across the courtyard. All the tables were set up and draped with white linen as garlands were used to decorate the surrounding areas.

"Is something wrong with the pool?" Sonia asked. Ilyana turned her head towards it, and she grabbed Tori's arm.

"Did you freeze that pool?" Tori nodded. There were four entrances to the frozen pool and rather than the bright white light crystals, Tori had selected different color light crystals to be strung across the pool and to pulse in different colors, similar to the flashing lights in a skating ring from her childhood. A booth had been set up with ice skates to strap to one's shoes; Tori had called for them to be delivered from Viclya with the arcade games.

Benches were around the pool, just outside the fence, so guests could put on their skates or stop to catch a breath.

"The Empress asked for it yesterday." When Tori had checked it that morning, she found that there were already skate marks across the surface. Apparently, the Empress had already taken to the ice the night before.

"I'm going to go skate." Ilyana took one step towards the pool only to be stopped by Sonia's firm grip on her shoulder.

"Didn't you say that we were all going to eat first before we started playing?" Sonia asked with a raised brow. Ilyana tried to hide her disappointment.

"Right... let's go eat first." Tori saw their usual little group clustered around the horse racing game. A small figure was standing beside a larger one seated on the first station and seemingly giving him a careful instruction. Tori raised a brow as she approached and heard the little girl's voice.

"The key is to relax and when you roll the ball, it should spin. Don't roll it with too much force. It's just going to bounce back," Fiona told Ewan in a serious voice. Ewan nodded, as if he were being spoken to by a coach.

"I see... so that's the secret."

"Baby Fifi." Tori swept up behind her and picked her up. Fiona giggled and squealed with joy as Tori kissed her cheek and held her against her hip.

"Are you trying to get Ewan to win you a toy?"

"Ewan the chicken needs friends," Fiona told her seriously.

"I'm going to give some to my friends at the orphanage."

"All right, that's fair. But why are you only asking Ewan? What about the others?" Tori looked across at the other seats, where Henrik, Albert, and JP sat, respectively. Fiona leaned closer to her and cupped her hand by Tori's ear.

"They're not very good at the games, Auntie Tori," she whispered before glancing at the others with some pity. Sonia turned her head and muffled her snort.

"They're all playing against each other. One of them will win," Tori told her.

"You should ask all of them if they can try to win you a plush." Fiona shook her head.

"No, Albert says he's going to try to win one to impress a girl." Several eyes turned towards Albert and Albert's face heated up.

"Not now... I have to meet a girl first. I'll try to get you a plush, okay, Fiona?"

"Sure," Fiona said, her eyes still looking at him with pity.

"Try your best."

"I would like to play, too." Piers took a seat on the last chair at the far end.

"Is this the new game?" JP nodded and explained to Piers how it worked. Piers narrowed his eyes a bit.

"It is easy." The group looked at him with disbelief. Axton, who was standing behind him, laughed.

"You've never played it before. How can you say it's easy?"

"It is just to get the ball into the hole that will move the horse the farthest each time, yes?" Piers said.

"It isn't difficult." Axton snorted.

"All right, let's see how you do." Tori looked towards the attendant, who was a villager of hers, and gave them a nod. They handed out wooden balls and stepped to the side to ring the bell. Then, it was a flurry of rolling and yelling. Thunking could be heard as the five began to play. Every so often, a horse would move, getting closer to the end point.

"It's not working!" Albert cried out.

"Spin the ball!" Henrik told him.

"I am spinning!"

"Mine just keeps rolling back into the lowest hole. My horse is barely moving," JP said as he narrowed his eyes. Tori looked towards the track where the model horses were moving. The one furthest back was in the lead and seemed to move at a steady pace. Tori furrowed her brows and looked towards Piers at the end of the table. Unlike the others, who were frantically trying to get the wooden balls to go in, Piers looked calm and collected.

He sat firmly on his seat and used one arm to casually roll the ball and into the highest valued hole to get his horse to move the maximum space each time. She narrowed her eyes enviously. What kind of overpowered stats does Piers have? First the sword, then competency in governing and his unfair good looks. Now he's good at arcade games, too? How is his brother the one who's a love interest when Piers is good at almost everything? The fifth horse lit up and the attendant rang the bell.

"Winner! Horse number five!" Shouting was heard and Tori saw Gideon clapping.

"I knew my brother would win!" The other four players slumped forward and groaned in disappointment.

"Sorry, Fiona," Ewan told the little girl.

"I tried and only came in second." Fiona sighed and shook her head.

"Second is still good. Thanks, Uncle Ewan."

"Your Highness, which toy would you like?" The attendant seemed almost embarrassed to ask such a question of Piers, but Piers stood up and looked at the display of toys.

"Give me the horse. What colors do you have?" Piers said. The attendant reached into a box on the side and fished out a few different colored horses. Piers selected the tan one. For a moment, Tori thought he was going to give it to Fiona. Instead, he turned towards his brother.

"This is the color of Golden Splendor. You can have it." He handed the tan horse with the pale mane and tail made of beige yarn to Gideon.

"Thank you, Piers!" Gideon looked far too excited to get a plush toy from his brother. Tori crinkled her eyes and pursed her lips, but said nothing.

"What's Golden Splendor?" Albert asked as he stood up.

"He is my polo pony," Gideon said, smiling as he looked at the horse.

"This is my first birthday gift from my brother. I will cherish it."

"I shouldn't feel such pity for him, but I do." Sonia shook her head slowly. Ilyana nodded and turned her head.

"Oh, Miss James is here." Sonia turned around and waved to beckon the other young woman forward. Tori looked at Fiona.

"Where are your brother and cousins?"

"Ax throwing."

"Ax..." Tori shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Did an adult go with them?"

"Nanny Rey."

"Oh, thank God...." Tori let out a low quiet breath.

"You want to join us or go play with them?" Fiona beamed and pressed her cheek against Tori's.

"I want to stay with Auntie." Tori put her down and took her hand as they walked around to check out all the booths and tables. With her adopted niece to distract her, Tori didn't pay attention to the fleeting appearances of the Emperor Emeritus, who seemed to avoid her, and the Emperor and Empress. Fiona and Tori started off their night with slush fruit drinks and spiral potatoes. They stopped to play when they could find room to play. Beneath a large canvas tent was the ring toss.

Fiona's face lit up and she stuffed the remains of her potato into her mouth. She lifted her hands and Tori handed the two cups she was holding to Ilyana so she could wipe Fiona's hands.

"Auntie Tori, I want to try the ring toss!" she said.

"I almost got it last time!" Tori looked across at the five-by-five space square of wine bottles as she used a handkerchief to wipe Fiona's greasy little hands. The wine bottles were in different colors and if you were lucky enough to get a wooden ring on the neck of one of the glasses, you'd win something. The item you won depended on what color the wine bottle was. Tori flagged down an attendant and they gave Fiona a cup full of twenty wooden rings. Tori patted her head.

"Good luck." She looked at Tori with a proud smile.

"I'll win you something, Auntie."

"Oh, I await my gift," Tori said before stroking Fiona's hair back. Fiona clutched her cup of rings and found a space between some teenagers.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"No, I can do it!" Fiona looked determined as she clutched the cup in two hands and stepped back. She then threw her entire contents of her cup, all twenty rings, into the rows of wine bottles at once. Tori's jaw dropped. Fiona excitedly leaned forward and looked to see if any of her rings hooked on one of the bottles. She frowned.

"Nothing." She put her cup on the counter.

"Another, please!"

"Sorry, young miss, but you can only get one cup at a time and must wait a few minutes in between plays," the attendant told her gently. Fiona looked stunned to hear this. She looked at Tori and pointed at the game.

"Auntie...." Tori held back a laugh and picked her up.

"We'll just wait a few minutes."

"Winner!" One of the four attendants shouted, and the group turned towards the young man who was standing in the spot next to Fiona's.

"Congratulations, it's a green bottle. You get a plush." Montan furrowed his brows and frowned a bit.

"A green bottle... what bottle is needed for the hat?"

"A red bottle." Montan looked a bit annoyed. Amongst the sea of green and yellow bottles, there were only twelve red bottles. He was about to turn around and leave when he saw Fiona looking at him, impressed.

"Aren't you going to get your prize? You won," she said.

"I don't want a plush...." He trailed off and clenched his jaw. He seemed to notice the others were watching him. Montan let out a low breath.

"What plush do you think is good?" Fiona looked at the offered prizes.

"I recommend the bear. This game doesn't have chickens." He gave her a confused look, but quickly shook his head. He turned back at the attendant.

"Give me a bear." The attendant smiled and dug beneath the counter to take out a brown bear with a blue ribbon around its neck. Montan gave the attendant a nod and took it, then handed it to Fiona.

"You want it?" Fiona's eyes went wide, and she looked at Tori for permission. Tori stared at the bear for a moment and then gave Fiona a nod. Fiona gasped and accepted the bear that was the size of her head.

"Thank you, sir!"

"I'm not a sir." Montan averted his eyes and turned to leave. Before he got a few steps, a copper-colored felt hat with a narrow black band landed on his head.

"They only have one color," Axton said as he lifted his hand off the hat.

"So, make do." He walked past Montan and tossed the one last ring in his hand into the rows of wine glasses. Tori and the others watched it arc across and circle around the neck of a green bottle.

"Winner!" What the fu.... Tori squinted. Did Axton have some sort of overpowered male lead thing going, too? He wasn't as skilled as Piers, so perhaps a second male lead?

"Another bear with a different colored ribbon," Axton told the attendant. When it was in his hand he smiled and held it in front of Fiona.

"How many more do you need, Fifi?"

"This is enough!" Fiona beamed as her little arms struggled to hold both bears.

"Thank you, Uncle Duke Axton!"

"I said you can call me 'uncle'."

"Duke Axton sounds better." Axton chuckled and ruffled Fiona's hair. He continued drinking from his cup as he made his way to the next booth. Tori looked back at Montan, whose face reddened. He lifted his hand to touch the brim of the hat carefully with the tips of his fingers. The corners of Tori's lips rose, and she carried Fiona away. When it was time to cut the cake, Fiona had a grand total of five new stuffed animals, one won by Ewan, a cat won by Piers, and the last of the five, a duck, won by her brother.

A bag had to be brought out so she could carry them all. A three-tiered cake topped with a generic wooden figurine of a paladin was rolled out. Gideon first gave a small speech. Tori didn't pay attention and instead knelt beside Fiona to secure the stuffed animals in the bag. She heard everyone around them clap as Gideon's speech concluded.

A moment later, the crowd cheered again, and Tori saw Piers, who was seated on a table nearby, staring at the first slice of cake that had been given to him with a look that seemed to ask what he was supposed to do now. The booths were a bit empty as guests sat around to eat their cake and catch up with each other. There were many of the city's young nobles and aristocracy, but also a good number of familiar faces of commoner backgrounds from Lycée.

There was a small cluster of tables with Tabletop Gaming Club members. Among them was Montan, who was wearing his hat and quietly eating cake as others talked around him. Tori saw him look up a few times and answer. She even saw him smile a bit. This is a good sign. Tori nodded to herself, satisfied. She looked around and saw Gideon make his rounds with Fabian. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the fireworks were even better viewed now that they were outside.

Last year, Tori remembered that the party remained indoors and had to depend on the windows to see the lights. Tori handed off Fiona to Nanny Rey, as the night wound down. The little girl was exhausted and already sleeping by the time Nanny Rey, Robert, and Tori's twin cousins returned. The three boys were also tired, and Tori saw them off before returning to the courtyard. Gideon was seeing off the last few guests. Past him, the staff from Viclya and Duel were packing up their things.

With the horses and drivers rested, they could all return to the delta that evening. Ilyana and the others insisted on returning to Lycée and Ewan also had to return to La Garda, leaving Tori to stay overnight once more, as she had to take care of cleaning up and unfreezing the pool.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? It's getting late," Gideon said as he shook Montan's hand. Tori glanced over her shoulder. She wasn't too surprised that they were speaking, but was surprised that Gideon offered to let Montan stay. Overnight guests of the imperial palace required prior screening and authorization.

"No, Your Highness. Thank you for inviting me." Montan gave Gideon a bow.

"I'm glad you could make it. I hope you enjoyed yourself." Montan released Gideon's hand and touched the brim of his hat once more. His lip tugged upwards a bit.

"I did. Thank you." He reached into the pocket of his coat and took out a small, folded stack of papers.

"This isn't much, but I made a few charms." Gideon's eyes lit up. He didn't seem to expect it and gave Montan a small nod of his head before accepting the charms.

"What are they for?"

"Focus, for the upcoming final exams; safety; and this one is for when you start to do more speaking to others in your capacity as a prince," Montan said, pointing out the one top.

"The charm is to keep an audience's attention with your voice. It should be used with caution. The closer you are, the more captivating your words become." Gideon furrowed his brows. A few paces away, Tori narrowed her eyes.

"Does it really work?" Gideon asked. Montan nodded.

"I sold them to students giving presentations. Within two paces, your words will be seen as more favorable. However, after two paces, it will keep an audience paying attention to a presentation. I can make stronger ones, as well." Gideon frowned a bit.

"Is stronger necessary?"

"It can be useful. Alessa said the charms helped her speak better and gave her confidence." Tori froze for a moment. Her stomach flipped and she forced herself to focus and marched towards the two love interests.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I heard there were charms. Do you mind if I take a look?" Before Gideon could reply, she snatched it out of his hands. Was it rude? Yes. Did she care? No. Gideon was taken aback and frowned.

"Guevera!"

"Let her look." Piers loomed beside his brother and Gideon snapped his mouth shut. Tori looked over the charm.

"Your writing isn't bad," Tori said as her eyes settled on the Old Sulfae.

"Did you give this exact charm to Hart?" Montan narrowed his eyes and didn't seem to want to answer, but a shadow fell over Tori. She looked behind her and saw Axton appearing to casually look over her shoulder.

"Did you give a charm like this to the Baroness?" Axton asked, keeping his voice steady. Montan swallowed and nodded.

"Similar."

"What was different about it?" Tori asked.

"The characters here and here were given the descriptors 'ur' and 'fah'. The characters for energy usage are 'sei', 'paah', and 'kel' to prolong its life." Tori clenched her jaw.

"Those... change the meanings a bit. When did you give her the charm?" Montan tilted his head, appearing a bit perplexed.

"First year... we went to dinner, and I wrote one for her." Tori's mind whirled. She briefly remembered looking out the window from the second story of a restaurant. It had been their first group dinner with Albert, who ran across a district to join them after they called. They had watched Montan and Alessa meet up in the plaza below.

"Is something wrong?" Axton asked, glancing at Tori. Her hands were pale and squeezing the charms. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. She gave the stack of charms back to Gideon and looked at Montan. Tori continued to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"You should be more careful about making charms, Mr. Alvere." Tori took another deep breath and marched between them. She made her way to the closing fruit drink stand.

"Do you have any more strawberry and orange?"

"Yes, my lady. Would you like any alcohol in that?"

"A little, yes."

"Tori." Piers' voice came from behind her as she waited for her drink.

"Is something wrong with Gideon's charms?"

"No, his charms are fine. They're safe to use. From the energy on them, they should last a few hours each." Piers cocked his head to the side and looked confused.

"Why are you upset?" Tori kept her eyes fixed on the drink being prepared.

"The descriptors Alvere added changed the charm. Instead of captivate, it is increased to influence.

'Fah' being added increases the influence of the speaker's words to the listener. The more they speak, the more influence they have.

'Ur', if he put it where he put it, changes the focus from the words to the person speaking. If a listener already has an affinity for the speaker with the charm, their bias for them will increase." Her voice grew angrier and louder as she spoke.

"But a charm only lasts a few hours." Tori shook her head and let out a low, bitter laugh. How could she forget that Montan was supposed to be talented with charms?

"He used a conditional text. I never even thought of that for a charm. It is only using energy when she speaks and when she doesn't, such as when she's sleeping, if it is on her person, it can draw energy from her and recharge. A charm like that, if she kept speaking, would last for an hour or two at most. Enough for a presentation, like he said.

But, if he used conditional text to make it recharge itself, then unless Hart uses up the energy in one go, she can use the charm to influence people with her words in short spurts, as often as she wants.

"And charms can be additive, not only to the user, but to a target of that user. In this case, the more she would speak to someone, like your brother, the more he would be willing to listen to her. The more they want to listen to her." Tori slumped forward as she felt a wave of exhaustion. The staff member gave her a chilled glass with a drink and Tori cupped it between two hands and hunched over it.

"Two and a half years.... two and a half years and I was up against that."