The train roared back toward the Senius dukedom, leaving behind a trail of steam and smoke that lingered in the air, mixing nauseating with the faint scent of iris. Of course, the Duke and his entourage were spared such irritations, in the well-insulated private car reserved for high nobility. The rest of the passengers were not so lucky, and those who were sitting near the windows discovered first-hand that the cars were not made quite as air-tight as they would have wanted.

Mary was seated in the back of the private car, idly watching her charge. She knew that Lady Alicia seemed downcast, but she had not yet had the chance to talk to her student. Afterall, Mary had been quite busy these past few days. Besides meeting her brother, she had also begun to investigate other businesses that might serve as good investments for the Akari Corporation. Lady Alicia had given her a few types of shops to inspect, and Mary had been working her way down the list.

At first, there was little that seemed to connect the various businesses. There were textile mills, shipping docks, and iron foundries, as well as clothing boutiques, debt lenders, and apothecaries. It was certainly a strange collection, and it took her all around the city of Ludestre. At some shops, she posed as a wealthy customer; at others, she acted as an interested investor; at others still, she put on her boyish disguise and asked about employment. She had not invested any money yet, but she had begun to gather a sizable amount of information.

She knew that there was a method to her lady’s requests, although whether it was genius or divine inspiration was yet unclear. Gradually, she began to piece it together; each industry was in some way related to the lives of commoners. Everywhere she went, she could see the signs of businesses that were gradually including commoners in their consumer base. From the factories that were driving down the costs of steel and cotton, to the cheaper boutiques that had begun to sell simple ready-to-wear tunics and dresses, to the proliferation of apothecaries who treated those who couldn’t afford a physician, it all pointed to the commoners becoming a larger part of every market she surveyed.

Doing all this was at once exhilarating and strangely unsettling. Before she had been hired as a governess, Mary had once held dreams of owning a business. It had never been a very realistic dream, but while at the Academy she had temporarily allowed herself to hope her brilliance would let her push past all the obstacles of society. While at school, she had taken several courses on theories of economy and business, and it gave her a small thrill to use those here. Once she had graduated, however, she had come face-to-face with the stark reality of her situation, and she counted herself lucky to have landed as good a position as she had. She had tried to forget about her outlandish plans, and focused on carving a life for herself in the Senius household, meager though that life might be. It was a strange thing about dreams, though. They never truly died, not as long as there was still a shred of hope.

That was probably why she had agreed to Lady Alicia’s initial request. She knew that she was risking her career; this was well beyond the duties of a governess, and she had no doubt the Duke would be livid if he ever found out. Still, this was the best chance she would have to live out her dream. It wasn’t quite owning her own business, but working for the Akari corporation as the lady’s right hand was a close second best.

She tried not to wonder at Lady Alicia’s sudden acumen, but it was difficult to ignore. A month prior, the lady had been the same kind of entitled, bothersome noble girl that Mary had dealt with her entire life. Of course, she had seen that the girl had her own struggles, and for what it was worth the young lady had rarely been rude to the governess. Yet something had changed dramatically when the girl Bloomed, and despite herself it scared Mary more than she wanted to admit. The child was always intelligent, but suddenly she seemed to possess knowledge and skills that were well beyond her years.

Then there were the troubling questions about reincarnation, and the girl’s strange dream. Loath as Mary was to get involved with matters of faith, she had to consider the possibility. When she had first heard of persistence, the spiritual belief that some saints return to guide the future, she had always dismissed it as just a parable that pastors would use in sermons. As such, she had rarely looked further, and her knowledge on the subject was understandably rather shabby. Given what was happening with her young ward, however, she found that unacceptable.

She would have to research it further, on top of her other duties. Of course, she would have to be careful; there was no sense in letting any members of the church grow suspicious, lest they decide to declare Lady Alicia a heretic. Mary suspected that, before all was said and done, she would most likely need to call in several favors from her connections at the Academy.

The governess sighed and rearranged her hands on her lap. There was just so much to do: arrange for the arrival of her brother, make plans with Finnegan to expand Lady Alicia’s investments, research persistence as well as the various industries the lady had asked her to inspect, all in addition to her original duties as a governess. Strangely, though, the feeling that accompanied that thought was not one of dread. Rather, she felt a strange energy coursing through her, a thrumming excitement that she had not felt in some time. She had always known her skills far exceeded that of a simple governess, and now she would finally be able to prove it.

~*~

Alicia knew that she was subdued on the journey home, and that it worried both Lucille and Miss Hartwright. Her father was unconcerned, of course; he had asked her briefly about the events of the museum, but when she had given him a vague confirmation of a successful attendance, he had let the matter drop and returned to his standard practice of ignoring his daughter. She hadn’t mentioned the prince’s threat, or her encounter with the Prospect. Perhaps it would have been the right thing to do, but she couldn’t see it leading to anything other than scolding and dismissal.

When the locomotive pulled into the station at Bridgeford, there were two carriages already waiting for them. They made a quick transfer while servants from the estate dealt with the luggage. She rode silently with her father, and except for a few times when she caught him eyeing her with an impassive glance, he was mostly focused on reading through several reports that he had taken with him.

Fortunately, she was shaken out of her melancholy when they arrived at the estate. The sprawling grounds felt at once comforting and strangely enclosed, as if it was only by leaving the estate that she realized how confined she had been her whole life. As the carriages pulled up, she smiled to see that her Lewis was waiting, bouncing on his toes, while an exasperated servant behind him tried to lecture him, to no avail.

As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, her brother cried out, “Ally! You’re back! Did you bring me anything?”

He rushed toward her, then stopped a few feet away as he seemed to remember his lessons on etiquette. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said, teasingly. “Maybe I got so carried away with the city life that I completely forgot about a little gremlin back home.”

He pouted and stomped one foot petulantly. “I’m not little! I’m only a few inches shorter than you, and I’ll pass you in no time, just you wait.”

Alicia laughed affectionately, rubbing her fingers through his hair. “That’s what you had an issue with?” Still, she gestured to Lucille, and the maid brought forth two packages wrapped in tissue paper, tied with neat black strings.

He quickly grabbed them, eyes shining with childish greed and delight. Alicia laughed as he ripped off the wrapping, exclaiming in delight as he saw the two presents she had chosen. One was a book, The Heroes of Estelar; an Account of Thirty-Seven Knights, Soldiers, and Spell-Swords who Protected the Kingdom. He had been obsessed with knights for some few months, and when she had seen the book in the shop of Elizabeth’s uncle, she knew that she had to purchase it. The other gift was a small brooch with a stylized dragon made from carved white stone.

He looked a bit disappointed at the jewelry, until Alicia leaned closer and whispered, “It’s made of real dragon bone, you know.”

Lewis’ eyes shot up, and he looked at her with an amazed grin. “Truly?”

She smiled back. “Truly. I have a certificate of authenticity to prove it is so.”

He leapt toward her then, and she swept him up into a hug. How had she ever taken her brother’s affection for granted? He was the only one in the world who had loved her with no condition or expectation. Suddenly, the prince’s words flashed in her mind, and she felt her anger return. She had forgotten that there was more at stake than just her own life; she would absolutely not let that man destroy the future of her brother.

“You ought not tease him so, Alicia,” a cold voice said from the door to the estate. The duchess stood in the doorframe, looking at her with obvious distaste. “Lewis is the heir to the house, and you are to treat him with respect.”

It was strange; once, that expression would have sent the girl into a shivering sweat, but now it felt… muted, perhaps. After seeing the prince’s declaration to destroy her, her step-mother’s words could hardly phase her. Instead, she fell into a proper curtsey, and said, “Yes, Your Grace.” It wasn’t worth contesting the bitter woman, anyways.

The Duke emerged from the carriage a moment later, handing the stack of reports to the butler. “I am glad to see you are in good health, Duchess,” he said, nodding genially. The woman nodded back, her eyes softening as she looked at the Duke.

“Father!” Lewis cried out, separating from Alicia and rushing toward the Duke. “Father, did you see what Ally brought me? It’s made of real dragon bone! Did you see it?”

The Duke smiled, placing one hand on the boy’s shoulder as he kneeled down to inspect the brooch. “I see. It will look quite handsome on you, Lewis. I hope you shall enjoy my gifts as much as you do your sister’s.”

The young boy’s eyes widened, clearly just now realizing that Alicia was not the only one who could bring him presents. The Duke laughed at the boy, tousling his hair with one hand, as the Duchess watched with a rare warm look on her face.

Despite everything, Alicia couldn’t help the grim stab of painful envy as she stared at the happy scene. In two minutes, her brother had received more affection from their father than he had shown her the whole trip, and more from his mother than the woman had given Alicia in her whole life. Lewis was oblivious to it, of course; he loved her too much to realize that his parents didn’t feel the same way. She felt a terrible loneliness suddenly, and she had to squeeze her fingers into her palm to keep it from overwhelming her.

As she was staring at the scene, she heard movement from behind. She looked to see Lucille and Miss Hartwright standing behind her, looking at her with concern, affection, and respect. Alicia swallowed, as she suddenly found herself fighting back tears. No, she wasn’t alone. There were people who cared for her, and even if it had taken her twelve years and a magical awakening to realize it, she now knew that she cared for them as well. For Miss Hartwright, for Lucille, for her brother, and for herself; for Elizabeth, who had shown unadulterated kindness to a stranger; for the Prospect Tetravar, who had calmed her down; for the people of the land, who deserved better than the cruel work and exploitation that they received—she would destroy the plans of her fiancé, and shatter her fate, and bring everyone their deserved ending.

End of Arc 1