Despite rumors of monster attacks, Liliana’s journey to Fortier proceeded without incident. She traveled by day and met with Petra at night for her secret lessons on hexes.
Inside the coach, solitude reigned supreme—at least until their third day on the road, when Marianne’s attitude toward Petra began to relax. By the fourth day, things actually seemed rather amicable between them. Perhaps the handmaiden was influenced by the calm between Liliana and Petra, or maybe she figured that adding to the tension could negatively affect her charge.
“My lady—we shall arrive at the estate in Fortier tomorrow,” Marianne joyfully said.
The handmaiden’s announcement was welcome news. They may have only been riding in a coach, but the journey had still proven mentally exhausting. Their last planned stop was an inn in a large merchant town closer to Duke Clarke’s duchy than any other. Situated in the heart of a seemingly endless forest, the town was said to be full of souvenir shops and eateries. It was no wonder Marianne was excited.
For the rest of the day’s journey, Marianne cast questioning looks at Liliana. It wasn’t until they reached the inn and finished unpacking that she finally voiced her concern.
“Are you sure you want to eat out with me, my lady?”
Marianne had expected her charge to spend the evening in their high-class inn, as she had at each of their previous stops. Instead, Liliana requested dinner at one of the town’s many eateries, since it was the final day of their journey.
“Yes,” she wrote, well aware of Marianne’s concerns.
Liliana had no need to experience the life of a commoner. If all went according to plan, she would progress from noble to crown princess to queen. However, if the events she had witnessed in the otome game came to pass, there was a real chance she could lose her status as a high-ranking noble entirely. For her own peace of mind, she wanted to familiarize herself with aspects of commoner life in preparation for that outcome.
But that wasn’t her only reason.
Ever since we set out, my meals have been laced with a nonlethal amount of poison.
It had never happened at the estate. Even on the road, her food was being tested for poison, but the dosage was so small that the taster hadn’t noticed. Liliana had discovered it only because of her recent obsession with testing a spell that analyzed the contents of whatever it was cast on. It was a troubling situation; if consumed often enough, even small doses of poison could leave her incapacitated. Her young body might not withstand the strain over the course of their long trip, leaving her so weak she could eventually die.
Liliana found that the poison was always confined to one part of her food, so all she had to do was avoid it. She wanted to learn the spell that neutralized poison, but as far as she could remember, it wasn’t listed in any of the spellbooks she had read.
My father has many political enemies, so I suspect one of them is to blame. Let’s see how they react to an unplanned outing. It’s a good opportunity to see what they’re capable of.
The potential culprits she could think of were the Arcacians, who supported Duke Ealdred; the loyalists, who feared Duke Clarke might grow too powerful; House Tanner, whose daughter was the second-best candidate for the crown prince’s fiancée; and the imperials, who sought to kowtow to the neighboring empire. There was too much chaos to know for sure who was behind the poisoning, but all risks had to be considered.
Marianne sighed, knowing her mistress wasn’t going to budge. Liliana got her way, and they headed into town with Petra and the two escorts. Rather than a fancy establishment catering to high-ranking nobles, they went to a simple, unpretentious eatery that looked popular with the masses. Its clientele was likely a mix of low-ranking nobles and well-off commoners with something to celebrate.
Though the handmaiden hadn’t managed to stop Liliana from eating out, she insisted that the owner at least give them a private room. She didn’t even feel comfortable letting her lady choose her own food, though Liliana didn’t mind. In the end, they ordered either what Petra wanted or what the owner recommended.
“Meat and drink are all I need, really,” Petra said bluntly—after placing a heap of orders.
“Would you kindly refrain from alcohol?” Marianne chided. “You are being paid to protect someone, if you recall.”
The two escorts looked nervous and out of place, having never dined with their mistress before. Still, they took bites of every meal and sips of every drink—partly out of gratitude and partly to test for poison. Liliana savored the meals, which were warmer than those served at the estate. They were free of poison, so whoever the culprit was clearly hadn’t anticipated their outing.
“This wild boar is to die for,” Petra gushed as the owner brought more food.
“Yes, this kind of boar only shows up in these parts,” the owner replied. It was apparently a famous local specialty.
“Really?” Marianne asked, clearly surprised.
At first, the owner merely nodded. Then, realizing he should probably be more affable, he launched into a hasty explanation.
“We’ve got the forest right on our doorstep, see. It’s not the safest place—deep ravines, steep cliffs, and all that—and the canopy’s so thick it blocks out the sun. They say there are monsters too, and anyone who gets lost in there never comes back. That’s why hunters stick to the edges. They’ve even marked some trees to help ’em keep their bearings and remind ’em when to turn back. So yeah, it’s dangerous all right—but its beasties make for some mighty fine cooking. That’s how our town got famous for delicacies you can’t get anywhere else.”
“Interesting. So they’re exclusive to these parts, huh?” Petra asked, her eyes alight. “Could you recommend any local brews?”
“Ms. Myyrylainen...” Marianne warned. “If you don’t behave, we’ll be asking for our money back.”
“I know, I know.” Petra pouted, looking on the verge of calling the handmaiden a stick-in-the-mud. “I was just asking.”
The owner beat a hasty retreat, and Petra said no more about alcohol. The escorts, evidently not ones for conversation, focused on their meals in silence. Once everyone finished eating, they began making their way back to the inn—but not before Petra purchased some dried meat, beans, and other items from the owner, most likely to go with her drinks.
She probably intends to buy some alcohol when no one’s looking.
Unbeknownst to Marianne, Liliana was meeting with Petra practically every night for lessons on hexes—and on each occasion, her teacher had drunk generously. The mage must have had an impressive tolerance for alcohol, as she always seemed perfectly sober by morning.
After the short journey back to the inn, Liliana asked her handmaiden to help prepare her for bed, as usual. Then, once Marianne had retired to her room, Liliana deployed a soundproof barrier and teleported. She arrived at her destination to find Petra clutching a bottle of alcohol—a predictable sight. The mage smirked the moment she saw her student.
“There you are.”
“Indeed. Thank you for having me.”
They had fallen into their roles quite naturally. Petra proved a surprisingly capable teacher, presenting ideas in ways that were easy to comprehend, while Liliana’s unique way of thinking consistently exceeded the mage’s expectations. Sometimes, their lessons even erupted into the kind of heated debates one might expect between two researchers.
“Are those drinks you bought here?”
“Yeah. Got them while you were getting ready for bed. You gave me plenty of time. We commoners can get ready in five seconds flat.”
Five seconds was surely an exaggeration. Liliana took the seat offered to her while Petra happily snacked on her dried meat.
“Gotta say, that maid of yours is a real sourpuss. She’d give those shmucks at the ministry a run for their money.”
Liliana chose not to press the matter. For better or worse, she had no acquaintances in the Ministry of Magic. Though she hadn’t known Petra long, she was certain the mage wouldn’t mind her silence—and Petra, in turn, knew Liliana wouldn’t take offense.
“My drinking never gets in the way of my duties. Here, I got you something.”
Petra gestured to a well-presented package on the table. Inside, Liliana found three bottles of juice.
“Supposedly, it tastes even better than lemonade. Take whatever you don’t finish with you.”
“Why, thank you.”
Liliana gratefully accepted the juice. Throughout their journey, Petra had bought her all sorts of local specialties and souvenirs, letting her try them under Marianne’s nose.
Petra grinned in satisfaction and took a swig of alcohol to wet her whistle. “Well then, shall we review what we’ve covered these past few days?”
The first thing Liliana had learned was the distinction between magic and hexes. Magic drew its power from mana, whereas hexes could produce the same effects with or without it. Magic could be categorized into the four basic elements of fire, wind, earth, and water and the two special elements of light and darkness, but these classifications were regional. In the east, magic was believed to consist of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
All the books on magic in Liliana’s estate sorted magic into six elements, with no mention of the alternatives. Evidently, Petra knew more than the people of Slivegrandia.
Liliana answered each of Petra’s questions concisely, earning a clap from her teacher. “Correct,” the mage declared. “You’ve got the essentials down. I knew you had it in you.”