As it turns out, the royal family couldn't get drunk easily so when they found something that can actually do it? They went all out. Or at least Zale and Aordan did, the other two royalty didn't even take a single sip, Aegob held himself back for my sake while Eonea played it cautiously.

  One hour later and the negotiations— which never happened, Rontress was prepared to compromise a few things to keep her family's position but didn't have to in the end. — died down, everyone went to their rooms, and the day officially ended.

  Rontress was sitting on her desk reviewing more reports when someone made their presence known inside the orchard. She had grown this place herself and because of that, every single flora, from the smallest grass to the biggest tree, was under her control.

  No one could bypass her senses, and it seems that the intruder knew this so she was boldly showing herself, presumably so that Rontress notices and comes to her. She didn't do this obviously, that girl can check the fruits in the orchard as much as she wants, Rontress even let her take some.

  And the act of stealing must've been the girl's way of gauging whether or not Rontress will kill her for intrusion because the moment she plucked one fruit from the branch of a tree she acted even bolder.

  Willingly walking into the depths of a Dryad's orchard takes a lot of courage so Rontress had to commend her for being so committed to whoever is her master.

  Is it the King? Or maybe it's the princess? It doesn't matter either way, she can't fight Rontress and her petty little tricks can be sensed by anyone who's gone through an awakening, Ifira would be able to do the same just by relying on her sharpened senses.

  Rontress has seen her before, she's the maid who warned them to stop talking back at the Inn, the one who can turn into shadow and hide in the tiniest corners of a room. An assassin, informant, and maid all at once.

  A knock came from the door, Rontress got up and slowly walked towards it. "Hello, what brings you to our humble little cottage? Do you know how late it is?"

  "The princess wants to talk about your farm." Ah, so she belongs to the princess. "Is that conversation still possible?"

  "Of course it is." Not that they'll actually talk about Flotol's ability to grow crops even in a land as harsh as Misery Swamp of course. Chances are, Eonea would want to talk about the problems her family is experiencing.

  "Good, she's by the abandoned tower within the Gilded District." Abandoned?! It's just under construction! Rontress wanted to correct the maid but she disappeared immediately after telling her Eonea's location.

  "Okay? Fair enough." With a reluctant sigh, Rontress willed her night gown to turn into a hooded dress. She covered her head and went out, disappearing under the darkness.

  Rontress found Eonea hiding inside the clock tower, the princess was looking up at the gears. "Fascinating, what are they for? Grinding rice?"

  "Telling the time." Rontress answered simply, she herself doesn't know how this works and it was Wardcruncha's own mind that made this possible, she just told the old man the general gist of how a clock functions.

  "Telling the time. How interesting." Eonea faced her finally. "Hello Rontress, I take it you weren't offended when my father and I attacked you earlier? I know that pressuring you like that must've been difficult but it was part of the process, we need people who can think."

  "Uhuh." Does this girl think complimenting her will work or something? She's still pissed, the only reason why shes hearing Eonea out is because she needed allies in the higher parts of Oberlon's hierarchy.

  "Of course, the girl who turned Ghorise and Flotol into a thriving territory would fit our standards, I'd say you surpassed them even, but again, we will not take the risk, the royal family has experienced traitors and while they are not as smart as me and my father, they are still kin."

  "You don't wanna kill your family?"

  "What? Of course I do, it's their fault for stabbing us in the back." Eonea rolled her eyes, the venom dripping out her tongue would have melted the floor if it was real. "Anyway, what we're worried about is their influence, see, my two sisters are very popular, they can change the opinions of the kingdom's nobility on dresses just by wearing something, everything they do becomes a trend."

  Like how nobles did the same thing on earth during the victorian era?

  "I have a solution to that I think."

  "I'm sure you do, but hear me out for now okay?" Eonea said, Rontress nodded. "You're listening? Good, now here's what's happening, my two sisters married into the Dizzeria and Malcott families, giving them royal blood."

  "Look, I think it's sad that your family can potentially be usurped by people who also have royal blood running through their veins but is that even possible? The Dizzeria Duchy is strong but you're all stronger."

  Of course Rontress knew it was possible, she's seen it happen herself. But the king in the game wasn't a child from any of those Duchy's but Aegob, so it's clear those people aren't a threat.

  The ones backing the second prince though? Yes, possibly.

  "You're implying that it is not possible for them to win against the crown." Eonea asked softly, now she's looking at Rontress like she's dumb.

  "Yes?"

  "We will not kill our own citizens, a rebellion means that the kingdom's own populace will slowly get slaughtered, we wish to prevent that and thus, are actively trying to figure out how to stop the rebellion before it happens."

  "Okay, a loss of manpower does suck." Rontress inhaled sharply, she knows how bad things can get when a territory doesn't have enough people to do jobs. "And then there's Jhivan who might take advantage of the civil war..."

  "Precisely, which is why we need to be careful, do you understand now? This is the side that you are joining, you and Ifira are powerful, yes, but you're smart enough to not want to kill the kingdom's people." The princess gave her an expectant look, Rontress nodded.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Okay, what's your plan?"

  "None for now!" Eonea exclaimed with a grin, the princess was manic, a crack in her carefully worn mask. "Our enemies are far too cumbersome to deal with and so we have to sit back and pretend like they aren't using every passing moment to tighten the noose around our throat."

  "We need to figure out who does what first?"

  "Yes, that and we lack the resources to do anything right now, you said you have a way to combat my sisters' popularity?"

  "Well, yeah?" She originally wanted to make the printing press when Flotol gets popular enough but since it's urgent, then she might as well make it. "We can spread news around through physical paper or something, our current stables aren't as efficient as I wanted them to be but we can make it work."

  "Stables? Hm?" Eonea crossed her arms, she looked up, her expression thoughtful. "The current problems are centered around a lack of mobility, correct? What if I have a solution to that as well?"

  "How fast can griffon carriages move?"

  "Assuming the coachman has the fight sub class? One carriage can travel across the entire kingdom in just a day, is that enough?"

  "More than enough." More plans appeared in Rontress' head, ideas on how to make the entire thing more efficient popping up like mushrooms after the rain. "Now, we're not slandering your sisters; rather, I want to spread news of Alfenheim Theatre's actors and actresses."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Okay, I understand your confusion but think about it, if other people become popular your sisters would have competition, and they would want access to the printing press should things get bad enough."

  "Your little project also gains popularity through this does it not?" Of course she'd point that out, Rontress expected her to just accept it as part of the deal. Both parties need to benefit if she wants to make this work.

  "Of course they do, but their names are already spreading anyway? I have bards that spread the songs of their most popular musicals across Oberlon, people come here because of that?" Why is this girl acting like Rontress is incapable of advertising her own project?

  "Well, I have heard of "The Great Escape" so you are not wrong, which group is that one from?"

  "Lover's Dance, it's from the Song of the Lustful Sparrow." That specific musical is also one of the most popular musicals as well, which is kinda neat. Guess people just like tragic romance no matter what?

  "What a strange name." Eonea's reaction is the same as everybody else's, they always say that. "Regardless, I think I agree with lending you two of our griffon carriages every day and in exchange, you will spread news about your people, whatever benefit you get from it is unimportant."

  "Well, I think we should worry about it." She decided to warn the princess of a potential threat that may come from making a few of the actors popular. "The actors are capable of inducing mind control and hysteria, if they get powerful enough..."

  "They can be a threat, I understand. Do you have some sort of hold on them?" At that question, Rontress shook her head. "You should leash your dogs, find the easiest to influence, ones with the most potential, and then tie them up."

  "Yeah, I can do that." Confirmed the Dryad, though she doesn't really know how to execute it. Does she make deals with them? The binding kind? Does she place a bomb on their hearts? Trap their souls?

  "Good."

  Their conversation lulled and Rontress just awkwardly stood there, waiting for the princess to say more things. Maybe she can explain just how bad things have gotten? No, the trust between them is still fragile so telling secrets is unlikely.

  "What are you doing right now?"

  "Finishing up the reports given to me by my family, why?"

  "I can help you with that if you want?"

  "Nope, that's my thing. You do yours." Does this girl think Rontress is stupid? She's not gonna give Eonena such a vital secret, she's a princess, she has a sub class that helps her with managing territories, which sounds peaceful on paper until you realize she can use it to predict and calculate Flotol and Ghorise's logistics during war.

  "Hm, unfortunate."

  "No? It's a smart move." Rontress corrected, she dropped the act of friendliness. "Will you show me the amount of resources the crown gathers whenever you collect taxes?"

  "No, never."

  See? This girl isn't gonna risk it, and Rontress doesn't even have a sub class that helps her calculate logistics in the same way Eonea's would. The sub class in her possession, [Competent Mayor] is far weaker than [Royalty] or whatever it is that Eonea has.

  "Then we're in an agreement that touching on those topics isn't ideal for both of us, let's never mention this ever again."

  "Very well, since we have nothing else to talk to or do, I will now depart, it is about time I go back to my room."

  "Goodbye." Rontress knew that she wasn't going to miss Eonea, the princess is far too cunning for her to be comfortable around her. "I should go as well."

  The two of them separated, not as friends or even on good terms, but as reluctant allies who are willing to defend each other against the greater evil currently attacking them and sometimes? That's more than good enough.

  When Rontress came back, Ifira was in the living room, she's on the couch, reading reports with methodical precision. "Where have you been? Rontress, I don't care if you've fallen for someone and chose to go on some midnight tryst... wait, did you?"

  "Nope." Rontress answered simply, she knew that there's no escaping Ifira's judgement so it's better to just be calm about it.

  "Good, good." Ifira smiled and visibly relaxed. "Anyway, I don't care if you've fallen in love but can you please pick a guy who isn't a slobbering mess most times? Ugh. Aegob is disgusting I hate him, I'm gonna kill him—"

  "No one is killing anybody!" Rontress laughed, if Ifira kills her future pawn she's gonna lose it. "Okay? I don't even like him!"

  "You're lying."

  "No!" Rontress let out an exhausted sigh, whenever Ifira makes up her own fantasies, she always ends up like this. Always. "Do you really think that I'd do something so stupid? Ifira, I'm too busy for love right now."

  "Busy..." And now she's recalling all the times Rontress said that exact same line, it shouldn't take long for her to review all of her memories and realize that yes, Rontress meant it whenever she says she's busy.

  "... Okay."

  "You finally understand?" Rontress got a nod in response. "Good."

  "Why were you out then?"

  "Because Eonea invited me to talk." Rontress sat down next to her best friend and looked at the reports, did Ifira take these from her room? "Give me one?"

  "Here." A pen also came with the piece of paper. "What did you two talk about?"

  "We discussed what we should do moving forward." The education center is producing 3 promising graduates 2 weeks from now, but no one caught her eye. "You think we should increase the time for a kid to be educated?"

  "A season is more than enough." Ifira immediately denied the situation. "We don't need them to be so educated that they know everything, they just need to do their chosen profession correctly."

  While that is true, the versatility a good education can offer cannot be understated. Then again, what use did her own education from earth have? It was a waste for most of her life, they only proved useful in this one.

  "Okay, we're not doing that." Rontress left the topic at that.

  "Moving forward?" Ifira gave her another piece of paper. "What does that mean?"

  "It means that she and I came up with a plan to deal with whoever is responsible for threatening my family's position, or you know, their lives." Because that's not unlikely, people like that usually don't just stop when they strip their enemies of all their worth, lives and egos need to be taken as well.

  "You should have included me, I think I could have helped." Cute. Ifira was getting jealous?

  "I'll do that next time." Rontress playfully replied, she really can't see the intimidating villainess in Firelight Chronicles in this Ifira, it's almost comical how much she's changed over the last four years.

  "You will?"

  "Yep! I've always said that we're a team who does things together, it's just that I thought you were asleep earlier so I didn't wake you."

  "No you didn't, you're shouldering your problems all on your own again."

  "Okay, fine, you got me there." Rontress decided to let her win the argument, it's not like Ifira is wrong to say that. "Let's just work on these reports together okay?"

  "Fine."