Rise of Spring, Week 2, Day 3

  “Lord Theodore, respectfully, I must refuse,” Gristle said, the polite smile on his face a mockery of what it normally was. Nora stifled a laugh at the butler.

  Theo reeled back, pink dusting his cheeks. “All I asked was—”

  “I am aware, sir. But Lady Eunora is the head of house in Fellan in the absence of a Governor. Thus, it must come from her.”

  Nora’s gaze softened as she looked from Gristle to Theo, before magnanimously saying, “It’s all right, Gristle. If Theo wishes to move his room to be next to mine, that’s okay.”

  Gristle nodded before giving Theo the small smile that the butler usually reserved for when the less friendly of the local nobles showed up. “Very well, my Lady. I will prepare as you have instructed.”

  As Theo and Nora watched the man head off, Nora turned to look at her brother. Really look at him. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. He probably hadn’t, she decided. The Callistan Empire was just over the mountains, but the capital of the Empire was central to the continent and filled with perils. Though, if she hadn’t grown used to chatting with the boy in Twilight, she isn’t sure that the exhaustion would have been as noticeable. He held himself together well.

  “Noraaaaaa,” Theo whined as he slumped and wrapped an arm across her shoulders. He ducked his head down into her shoulder. “You didn’t tell me the staff was going to hate me.”

  Sniffing, Nora shoved Theo off of her. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like you’re Eve, or even Raphael.”

  “That doesn’t mean much. It’s not like Eve could even make the trip anymore,” Theo huffed.

  Nora flinched at the callous words. “She’s still asleep then?”

  “Yeah, Mother refuses to help her. And I’m not inclined to beg on her behalf.”

  “Do you think she’ll wake up on her own?” Nora asked blandly, as she’d had this same conversation with Theo a dozen times by now.

  Besides, she already knew the answer. Nora had asked Effy about it at one of their latest tea parties.

  “Who knows. It depends on the Divinity of whoever she wronged.” Theo said, disinterest filling his tone as he righted himself. “It doesn’t matter, it’s not like she doesn’t deserve what she got. Let’s talk about something more fun.”

  His eyes lit up, the cobalt blue seemingly even brighter outside of Twilight.

  “I want to meet that annoying Horus boy. The one that keeps trying to agitate the Hyperion.”

  “How about we begin with the Hyperion. I’ve invited some friends over for dinner tonight, and he’s among them.”

  “Oh?” Theo said, lifting his brows, and Nora gave a wide smile.

  “Yes, but if you embarrass me, I’m challenging you to a duel.”

  “Which, of course, I will lose.” Theo rolled his eyes. “I hear you, sister.”

  Warmth bloomed in Nora’s chest, the thought of Eve slipping away.

  Nora knew she was responsible for Eve’s Second Slumber, as the staff at the main estate had taken to calling it, but she did not feel particularly remorseful. Not like she did when it came to Oberon. Eve was not a bystander; she was not an innocent casualty brought down by Nora’s selfishness. Eve was a perpetrator. An aggressor. She was an enemy—and Nora knew [A Shade of Dawn] would recognize her as such.

  Effy had said, eventually, the Divine Decree would wear off, and Nora figured that if—by the time she was ready to leave the Dawns behind—Eve hadn’t woken up, she’d figure out a way to release the power. But as is, Nora wasn’t chomping at the bit to free Eve before she had the means to escape the power of the Dawns.

  “Well,” Nora laughed, leaving Effy’s words and her own plots behind, “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Theo paused before stepping away from Nora and dramatically brought his hand up into the air, flourishing as he brought his palm down to reveal a box.

  It was wrapped in paper dyed to match the Dawn colors—soft gradients from orange to red to pink and even purple and blue. The box itself was wrapped in a purple silk ribbon with a tag that Nora could see was emblazoned with a sparkling, ‘EKD.’

  “What’s this then?” She asked, taking the present and weighing it in her hands. It was light, but she could still feel the shifting of weight in the box.

  “A birthday present,” Theo said smugly before his expression dropped. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

  “Oh,” Nora said dumbly. Her eyes never left the box in her hands. “I—”

  Cutting herself off, Nora was at a loss. She didn’t actually…

  “Birthday?” A voice interrupted, one of the knights who was stationed in the main entryway—one who was not supposed to be seen nor heard.

  “Wait!” Nora shouted, already preparing a command of secrecy, but the knight had already disappeared back into the nothingness from which his voice had come.

  Theo had a bemused expression on his face, and it only grew when he asked, “Why don’t they know their Lady’s birthday? Aren’t you the ‘head of house’ here?”

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  Nora shot her brother a scathing look, but kept her grip on the box in her hands loose—so as not to wrinkle the wrapping.

  “Gristle knew, but,” Nora gave a frustrated sound, “he kept quiet at my command.”

  Once again, her brother looked baffled. It wasn’t an uncommon look when Nora did something out of character from the little sister he remembered—even all these months later. “Why—”

  “My Lady!” Melinda, the head maid, was storming through the halls, her bun so firmly in place it never so much as flinched with the force of her movement. That could not be said of Nora.

  Upon sight of the red-faced woman, Nora looked between her brother, the door, and the stairwell, debating if he could keep up.

  “Don’t you even think about it, Lady Nor—Eunora,” Melinda shouted. But sometime between one step and the next, Nora stopped worrying about it.

  She empowered [Sophism] and watched as the world slowed down around her, as lines of red chaos spread out across every path, as a ball of white light hovered before her.

  Ugh, I hate it when it shows me the paths, Nora bemoaned to herself.

  >It’s rarer now, after Level 10, isn’t it?< Eunora said gently. >If you run, it’ll make everything worse.<

  As the edges of Melinda’s mouth began to move in slow motion, Nora wanted to bite her lip. Eunora was right. Running is hardly ever the answer. But a birthday was too much. Not the least of which was because Nora had spent her actual ‘birthday’ mourning Eunora’s death—and Nora’s own loss.

  With a hitch of her breath, Nora released [Sophism].

  “I’m sorry!” The words rushed out of her mouth, interrupting whatever Melinda had been about to say. “It’s not a happy day for me. I didn’t want to be a downer.”

  “My Lady, you would never—” Melinda choked on her words, a new wave of frustration overcoming her before she swallowed it down and dropped her expression. “Gristle knew, then?”

  Theo was quietly surveying the way the head maid’s voice softened—and he hadn’t missed the near casual address of Nora, nor could he ignore the sheer volume of knights converging on their location. A near whole squadron. And staff as well—there were many low mana levels headed for the entryway.

  “He did, as did Captain Limrick. I told them to keep quiet, or,” Nora looked nervously around the room before flinching at her own words, “I’d sick my spirits after them. You know how Ronan and Sombre have been getting into quiet prank wars around the manor lately.”

  Melinda ran a palm over her slicked-back bun. “Those fools. When was it, then?”

  “Only a few days ago, it’s Rise of Autumn and Spring, First Week, Eighth Day,” Theo interrupted.

  The head maid nodded seriously at Theo before snapping her fingers. All at once, the mana sources converging on their location stopped. “Good, then we can claim it was simply to take time to prepare. We will pull it together for tonight. All of our Lady’s friends—and some others—are planning to drop by.”

  Turning back to Nora, she stepped close, putting her palm on Nora’s shoulder. “My Lady, please do not hide such things. Fellan is here to prop you up. If you have bad memories of your birthday? There’s plenty of time to replace them with good.”

  Nora blinked, and wetness filled her eyelashes. “Are you going to tell Madame Griselda?”

  “Your birthday present from me is a lack of a lecture,” the woman in question said from the opposite hall, where Gristle and Sir Limrick were flanking her. Both men were shaking their heads furiously. The reason was beyond Nora’s understanding, though.

  Wiping her eyes furiously, Nora straightened her back. “I accept it graciously.”

  “Yes, well, on such short notice I couldn’t prepare anything else. I will send out invites on your behalf for a ball—to be held this Eighth Day.” Madame Griselda turned her sharp eyes onto Melinda. “Rather than saying it was delayed for preparations, let us claim it was due to the Spring festival. That will give us the ability to put together a proper party so none of the local nobles complain. Besides, Lady Eunora was seen out and about the whole week. We can claim it was to respect the sanctity of Troya’s Ascent.”

  “Brilliant,” Melinda laughed.

  Nora sniffled. “Since it’s the Day of Rest, can we also send out some things to the people of Fellan? Trinkets, or snacks, or something?”

  Madame Griselda frowned. “Quite thoughtful, my Lady. Yes, that is often what is done to celebrate.”

  “I can make—”

  “Absolutely not—”

  Theo bounced his head between the two women and his sister, trying to follow along as they continued to talk over each other.

  “My etiquette teacher would have had me switched,” he grumbled, and the bickering ceased immediately as Nora turned to her brother faster than he’d ever seen her move in Twilight.

  “That’s because teachers at the main estate are incompetent. Mallorica picks them for their Skills, not their skills.” Nora hissed. “And no teacher should be switching children.”

  Theo blinked, and a slow smile grew across his face. “Of course, sis, but I am uniquely capable of refusing that punishment.”

  “Anyway,” Nora turned back to Madame Griselda, “I’d like to gift a handkerchief to everyone in the town. How many would I need to make?”

  Madame Griselda heaved a heavy breath. “Will you insist upon using your Skills?”

  “Of course, that’s what makes it mine,” Nora said dismissively.

  “Very well, you’ll need at least four thousand to catch those who are in the town proper.”

  Nora hummed and thought out loud. “Given they’d need to be done before midnight on Eighth Day, and that we’ve plans already in motion today, that’s one thousand each day—I’d need to produce one hundred an hour for ten hours, less if I work longer days and have help.”

  Turning to Theo, Nora elbowed her brother, “How’s your [Dagger] Skill coming along?”

  “Well enough to cut some fabric, I’m sure.”

  “Good, between you, me, Selly, and June, I’m sure we’ll get it done.”

  Madame Griselda narrowed her eyes at Nora. “How will you find ten hours around lessons?”

  Nora stared at the woman, letting the present in her palms shift to a single hand. She covered her mouth and—“Cough. Cough.”

  Madame Griselda arched an eyebrow. “Son, I believe your ward is ill—starting tomorrow—and will be taking time to recover so she is able to attend her own celebration.”

  “Yes, mother,” Gristle laughed.

  As the commotion around Theo and Nora died down, and Melinda and Madame Griselda left to plot, Gristle was dragged away by his mother.

  That left Sir Limrick and the siblings, but the knight captain had no desire to scold Nora, and so he excused himself. “Have a good dinner with your friends, my Lady.”

  Nora smiled before turning back to Theo and holding up the delicately wrapped present. “Are you going to make me wait for my party?”

  Theo snorted. “Absolutely not.”

  “Good, I wasn’t going to,” Nora laughed and dragged Theo to a nearby sitting room.

  Once they were settled comfortably on a plush couch, Nora gingerly untied the ribbon and used her shadows to detach the edges of the paper without ripping it. It was too pretty to tear apart. Dropping the wrapping paper next to her, Nora popped open the wooden box.

  Laid upon black silk was a book, thin with a cover of pitch black and a silver embossed droplet on the front.

  As Nora reached for it, a golden System Notice appeared—it was much like one of the ones in Twilight.

  [System Notice: You have acquired a Skill Book. It has been imbued with a single use. Would you like to learn the Skill [Blood of the Dark]?]

  [Yes/No]

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