Kaiden followed her finger and let out a soft "ah" of realization. He quickly picked up his pen to make the correction, a look of embarrassnt and gratitude on his face. "Thank you, Annie. My eyes tend to play tricks on ."
Annie tilted her chin up, looking a little proud. "It’s nothing! I often watch when my older brother goes over the military supply accounts. Sotis I’m even faster than his Secretary."
As she spoke, her gaze swept over another list on the table regarding iron ore procurent. A flash of curiosity appeared in her eyes, but she was discreet enough not to ask about it.
Aurora sat in a chair across from them, holding a docunt about allocating seeds for the spring planting. Mostly, however, she just smiled and listened to the two of them talk. She would only chi in to offer guidance when Kaiden ran into a real problem, her voice gentle and clear.
anwhile, Eleanor sat by herself on a low stool by a window a short distance away, quietly flipping through a thick, illustrated botanical guide she held in her lap.
Sunlight filtered through the diamond-paned window, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow across her serene face.
She seed engrossed, but her long eyelashes would occasionally give a quick flutter, and her gaze would steal glances toward the discussing group of Aurora, Kaiden, and Annie, or toward the entrance to the balcony.
After dealing with so urgent paperwork, Murphy erged from the study and stepped onto the balcony.
Kaiden breathed a sigh of relief at his arrival. The young man imdiately stood up and eagerly asked about a few details regarding the allocation of military funds for the border outposts and the logistics of coordinating supply shipnts.
Annie also quickly stood up and gave Murphy a formal curtsy, her posture even more respectful than when she greeted her elders.
Murphy answered Kaiden’s questions concisely. His gaze swept over the correction Annie had pointed out on the table, and he gave a slight nod. "It’s good to be ticulous with the accounts. Miss Anne is very observant. The teachings of the Peric Clan are as renowned as they say."
A smile blood on Annie’s face, and she looked delighted. "Thank you for the complint, Lord Thunder Sword."
Murphy patted Kaiden’s shoulder. "Take your ti. Why don’t you take Miss Anne to the stables for a bit? Whirlwind could probably use a chance to stretch his legs. You can look at the accounts again tonight."
Kaiden’s eyes lit up, and he looked over at Annie.
Annie looked eager as well, but she glanced at Aurora first, seeking the lady of the house’s permission.
Aurora nodded with a smile. "Go on, but be safe. Have the Groom and the guards go with you."
Looking as if he’d just been granted a pardon, Kaiden bowed to his parents, gave Eleanor a nod, and then left the balcony with Annie, his steps light. Faintly, Annie could be heard asking if Whirlwind had gotten any taller recently.
Aurora watched her son and the girl depart, a gentle smile in her eyes. She turned to Murphy. "That girl, Annie... she’s a bit boisterous, but she’s attentive and understands etiquette. Now that the fighting at Blackstone Fortress has died down, the Peric Clan has been sending her over quite often. I suspect they have other intentions."
Murphy sat in the empty chair beside Aurora, his gaze naturally drifting to Eleanor by the window. "Having Annie here is a way to maintain our ties, and it forges a more personal bond. It’s a good thing that Kaiden gets along so well with her."
Aurora gave a soft "hmm" of agreent and, without another word, rose to fetch another docunt from the study for Murphy to review.
At that very mont, Eleanor gently closed her botanical guide.
She raised her dark eyes, glancing toward the study and then back at Murphy, who sat alone in his chair. She pressed her lips together, seeming to hesitate.
Once Aurora’s footsteps faded behind the study door, she finally spoke in a soft voice. "Father."
Murphy looked at her. "Hm?"
Eleanor’s voice dropped even lower, laced with a barely perceptible mix of anxiety and hope. "Mother... when is she coming back?"
’She isn’t asking about Aurora,’ Murphy knew. ’She ans her birth mother, Margaret.’
It had been over a year since she had entered the Half-Plane in the Holy City with the Wizards of the Inheritance Sect, and there had been no word from her since.
The "Margaret" currently presiding over the Teris Territory was rely an alchemical or Magic Puppet she had left behind to maintain stability.
The puppet was incredibly lifelike and capable of handling routine administrative duties, but its power was negligible, and it lacked any real ability to adapt to unexpected situations.
This was also why, on the night Tayr Palace was invaded by Shadow Hunters, the puppet had never made an appearance.
To take action would be to risk being exposed.
For the past year, most of the important matters concerning the Teris Territory, including the dispatch of its private army to Blackstone Fortress, had been handled by Murphy in his capacity as chief vassal.
Murphy looked into Eleanor’s clear eyes, which held a hint of anxiety, and softened his voice.
"Eleanor, your mother has gone to a very distant place to carry out an extrely important mission. This mission could take a very long ti, and she may encounter unforeseen obstacles. That is why we cannot be certain of exactly when she will be able to return."
He paused for a mont before continuing. "But before she left, she made thorough arrangents for both you and the Teris Territory. She wants you to grow up safely, and for the territory to remain stable. Until she cos back, this place, Monte Castle, and Tayr Palace are all your ho. Aurora, I, and Kaiden—we will all be here with you until she completes her mission and returns."
Eleanor listened quietly, her dark eyes fixed on Murphy, unblinking.
After a long mont, she gave a slight nod, and the trace of anxiety on her face seed to lessen.
She said in a low voice, "I understand, Father."
Just then, a sudden breeze swept across the balcony, scattering the papers on the wicker table and lifting the wisps of hair from Eleanor’s forehead.
The wind did not die down. Instead, it began to swirl silently around her, causing her pale green skirt to sway gently. The pages of the guide in her lap also began to flip, RUSTLING as they turned.
Eleanor raised her small hand, palm facing up. As if drawn by an unseen force, the swirling wind coalesced, and a current of air obediently settled into her palm. It ford a tiny vortex that lifted a withered leaf blown from the table, spinning it slowly.
She asked softly, "Then, Father, can I beco a Wizard now?"
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