“I heard that before the changes to the curriculum, all you had to do in household math was simply add up the numbers in a filled out budget,” Princess Margaret shared. “You simply needed to know addition to pass the class.”
That sounds way too easy. This budget shouldn’t be hard to do, as long as you read the textbook. Princess Margaret only makes mistakes because she doesn’t like math and instantly rejects anything related to it.
I proceeded to make some tea for us.
“When you explain things, it sounds incredibly simple,” the princess remarked. “I wonder if the teacher is making things more complicated on purpose.”
“I highly doubt that,” I replied. “I’m sure if you took the time to carefully listen in class, you would have no trouble understanding, Lady Margaret. It may also help to read the textbook before class.”
Perhaps Princess Margaret was having trouble because of all these different expenses that she was unfamiliar with. Reading the textbook could possibly make it easier to understand.
“Are you suggesting I review material before class? But I just finished doing my homework... Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll try reading the textbook.”
While Princess Margaret read through her textbook, I continued thinking about tools that wouldn’t use magic stones.
A bicycle sure would be nice. I think it’s much safer than a horse. I also know the general construction of a bicycle. I hope I can spend third period tomorrow making a bike.
I had diplomacy and world history on Mondays. Ever since I’d learned that Percival wanted to be a diplomat, I’d become incredibly interested in the job.
I wonder what a diplomat in this world even does? In my previous life, international travel was quite normal, so they would help keep people from their home country safe, or deal with trade disputes... Right, there’s also issues of territory.
Unlike Japan, the Kingdom of Lawrence was not an island nation. It shared borders on land with other countries, and from what I’d learned in history, there had been many wars. Being a diplomat was likely a difficult job during wartime.
For some reason, Philips was once again walking me to our diplomacy class.
I already know the way to class. Is he just walking with me since we’re going to the same classroom?
“Will you be attending Romano University, Sir Philips?” I asked. I’d heard that many of the students enrolled in the civil service track would go on to attend Romano University.
“Yes, I’d like to become a diplomat.”
Just like Percival!
“Philips just wants to see historical ruins around the world,” Russell chimed in. “He wants to be an archaeologist, but his parents are against it. He’s so spineless.”
I can understand why he’d choose to be a diplomat. It’s a government position, so he probably would be allowed to visit ruins and historical sites during his free time.
“You’re not diplomat material either, Russell,” Philips remarked. “Acting so irresponsibly could cause trouble for the kingdom.”
Wait, they both want to become diplomats? I guess it’s a popular career.
“That wouldn’t happen,” Russell countered. “So, are you aiming to take the diplomat’s exam too, Patience?”
My previous goal had been to become a bureaucrat after graduating from the Royal Academy. Now, though I knew I wanted to attend Romano University, my plans after that were undetermined.
“I’m not sure yet,” I responded. “I do not even know if a woman can enter the diplomatic service.”
Just then, our teacher Mr. Fotchner entered the classroom.
“A female diplomat?! That sounds wonderful! Part of a diplomat’s job is spreading the culture of their home country. This is something that we are falling behind on in comparison to Sonia, Cordova, and Estena. I wish you the best, Patience!”
Wait, I haven’t decided on becoming a diplomat yet! Also, is Lawrence seen as culturally backward in comparison to other countries? Mr. Morse also said that Lawrencian Emperado is seen as harsh and nonartistic.
“That is a statement I must challenge, Mr. Fotchner,” Phillip chimed in. “The culture in Lawrence is vastly superior to that of other countries, to the point that they cannot be compared.”
“I do agree with that; however, it is also true that we haven’t shared our culture with other countries,” Mr. Fotchner replied. “The Kingdom of Sonia is famous for their romance practices, and the Kingdom of Cordova is known for adopting various cultures from around the world. The Holy Empire of Estena is culturally completely committed to religion. You could say that Lawrence has struck a happy medium in terms of cultural features, but there’s nothing that stands out about our culture in particular.”
Wow, this seems like it’s going to explode into a debate. Mr. Fotchner is good at getting the students riled up.
“There’s no denying that the Kingdom of Lawrence is impressive when it comes to our cultural advancements,” Russell argued. “Most magical instruments are made in Lawrence, and most of the famous pieces of music were composed by Lawrencians. Sonia only has romance novels, while our kingdom’s literature addresses the depths of the human mind.”
Mr. Fotchner shrugged his shoulders.
“That may be true, but none of those things are acknowledged by other countries. Many composers are indeed from Lawrence, but they often found fame while in Estena. Also, while we do invent many magical instruments, they’re mostly used in Sonia. Commerce in the southern part of the kingdom is completely dominated by Cordova. Do you see the problem now?”
The entire classroom was now participating in this debate.
I’ve also been wondering during my activities in alchemy club why it is that we invented magic lamps, but they’re more commonly used in other countries.
“Is it that magic stones are too expensive in Lawrence?” I wondered aloud.
We Grangers hadn’t been able to use our toilet for a while because we had been too poor to afford magic stones.
I hadn’t meant to voice the thought in my head so loudly, but Mr. Fotchner was suddenly pointing at me.
“You noticed something very important, Patience! Magic stones are more expensive here than in other countries. Why is that?”
The debate grew even more heated after that. People argued about other countries having more monsters, so they could hunt more of them, while others pointed out that perhaps they were importing cheaper magic stones from somewhere else.
“I want you all to look into this before our next class! Not just about magic stones, but also why musicians operate out of Estena rather than Lawrence. Think about why other countries might not praise our cultural achievements. You can pick any of those topics, just summarize your findings in an essay and submit them to me!”
History was in the same classroom, so we continued discussing the same topic during the break between classes.
“What are you going to research, Mademoiselle Patience? You were the first to point out the prices of magic stones being an issue. Will you be researching that?”
Philips calling me “mademoiselle” was still a bit embarrassing, but I didn’t dislike it to the point of asking him to stop. It sort of felt like someone calling you “deary” instead of “miss.”
Thanks to what I knew about the lives of famous musicians in my previous life, I had a good idea of why musicians from Lawrence often became famous in Estena.
“I believe many other students will write their papers on magic stones. On a different note, I suspect that musicians may choose to work in Estena because writing religious songs allows them to receive patronage from the church, which offers them stability. However, I do not know if there will be enough about this topic to write an essay.”
Russell suggested that I borrow the book The Musician Verrier from the library.
“That book went into detail about financial stuff,” Russell explained. “I borrowed it because I like Verrier’s music, and I remember being quite disappointed by the book. I know that you need money to survive, but he probably had no idea that his diary would be published after his death.”
Oh, I understand. I’d also be surprised to read a famous person’s diary and find detailed entries about their finances. Though, I am interested in reading about it, since it gives you a look into what life was like at the time. I guess I really am different from other nobles.
In world history, we got to the point in time when the Kazarian Empire had taken over the western half of the continent. We ended just before their expedition to the east began. It reminded me a lot of Alexander the Great’s conquests. Learning about them had been quite the task, since Alexander’s conquests took place all over the world.
Philips seemed to be a big fan of Emperor Hadrianus, who had led this eastern campaign.
“I’m so excited for next week!” he exclaimed.
Russell seemed exasperated by Philips’s enthusiasm, which was also something I’d gotten used to.
After lunch, I was going to be quite busy. I was going to spend third period in alchemy club so I could go over my design for a bicycle. I planned to wait until Friday to make my needle threader. It was better to wait to make things until Friday, when I had a lot more time. After third period, I had herbology, which I’d technically passed, but I wasn’t going to let my guard down until I actually harvested my antidotal herbs. I also needed to start planting antidotal herbs in the other greenhouse.
I arrived at alchemy club, and President Caesar and Benjamin were working on the washing machine. They wanted to head for the finish line, but they still hadn’t begun work on the draining system.