Did anybody else notice? It would make sense Mia would since she attended to me every day. But what about the rest of the household? The family physician? My knight bodyguards?
Why didn’tIknow?
“You lamented over it quite a lot,” Mia murmured, clasping her hands together on her lap. “How you didn’t want to go to the academy, even if it will let you see your brother every day. As the days neared the start of the semester, you became weaker and more despondent. Do you remember, Miss Bea, that you didn’t want me to tell the Lord and Lady about your condition? I never knew why because I could never ask you of that.”
“I didn’t want them to worry,” I replied all too fast.Bullshit.
“The Kingdom keeps a record of all eligible noble children for the academy,” she continued, relaying information that I didn’t ask for but definitely appreciated. “It would be amiss if you didn’t attend at the appropriate time. The Marshals would surely pay the barony a visit, and gentleness wasn’t their strong suit.”
I knew these things suddenly. How it was a matter of life and death to attend the magic school. How commoners with little magic were conscripted as soldiers for the Everlasting War against the Demon Lord. How Inspectors traveled all around the Kingdom, searching for commoners with significant magical ability, to mandate them to attend the same academy.
Why was I so hesitant to attend the academy? The reason for that never surfaced in my mind, and I was so mad at myself right now for being unhelpful.
“I had a change of heart and realized the importance of fulfilling my duty as a noble,” I continued to bullshit at Mia, feigning sincerity in my words. “I didn’t want the barony to suffer. It’s not just me who will be in jeopardy, and thankfully I realized it in time.”
“You’re a kind and wonderful lady, Miss Bea,” my maid gushed, grinning widely with sparkle in her eyes. “I never lost faith in you. That’s why I heeded your words and followed your instructions. I knew you’d make the right choice, whatever it is!”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but how could I deny myself the rare opportunity to have someone on my side unquestionably?
The rest of our travel for the day was silent, with Mia not missing her afternoon nap. Even until we stopped for the night at one of Viscount Strom’s towns, it had been a quiet affair, dining with Mia and my twin knights in a modest inn. Elias, who had been on horseback, opted to camp with my other guards on the outskirts of town.
He did promise to not get in the way, but I wanted him with us, selfishly.
At the start of our fourth day of travel, Robin and Reuben approached me as Mia was fixing my second dress of the journey. “We’ll be heading towards Count Lovell’s territory next,” Robin informed me. “Today and tomorrow, we will be on their land. We wanted to tell you ahead of time since you seemcurious about it.” His smile was so infectious that I smiled right back.
Count Lovell was a serious sort of man, or at least that was how I knew him from my limited knowledge of the Kingdom’s nobility. My role model was his eldest daughter, Lady Valeria, who was currently his heir and one of the commanding officers in the army. She wasn’t gifted with a lot of magical ability, but she made up for it with brawn and discipline.
She was a freaking badass.
Our trip was progressing just as Reuben had outlined in his plan. Elias was still traveling with us, and I could catch glimpses of him from time to time, but aside from the first night when he asked for his favor, he hadn’t approached me again. Did he hate me, still? I thought I had apologized to him for the incident years ago, but maybe I could ask for his forgiveness again.
As soon as we arrive at Aerahelm, I would.
On the sixth day of our journey, my twin knights informed me of our next and final destination before reaching the magic academy. “Duke Caenum’s city will be our stop for the night, and tomorrow, if things proceed as usual, we will be at Aerahelm by afternoon.”
Reuben’s calm voice soothed me as I recalled what knowledge I had about Duke Caenum. Their family was one of the longest standing noble families of the Kingdom, spanning many generations. Duke Caenum had at least three sons and two daughters. I knew the eldest son was engaged to Lady Valeria, his second son was on active duty as a mage, while the third son was still at school.
There was a possibility I’d meet the third son, which was interesting. I lived the last few years as a recluse in our manor, so I wasn’t familiar socially with the other noble children.
Again, as expected from Reuben’s well-crafted itinerary, we arrived safely at Khildan, a city snug safely against the mountain edges, forming natural defenses.
What wasn’t expected was the welcoming committee that greeted us by the gates, Duke Caenum himself on horseback and leading the group. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was nervous, even though I was sure I had done nothing wrong.
So close to Aerahelm, yet so far …
Chapter Five
“Greetings, Lady Beatrix Gadreel of the Havenglow family,” the guard hailed us, halting our entire caravan. Reuben and Robin formed a protective flank around my carriage, as if it needed defending. “Duke Caenum welcomes you to the city of Khildan, and personally invites you to his home for a proper dinner.”
Oh shit.I stared at Mia, who was as nervous as I was, before calling for Reuben’s attention through my window.
“Is it okay?” I asked him quietly.
“There is no denying the Duke,” he replied in a clipped tone. “If he knows the exact time of your arrival, that can only mean he has been keeping track of our journey.”
We had no choice then, or risk being rude. “We accept the invitation.” With a brief nod to Reuben, he conveyed my agreement to the Duke’s representative.
“We extend the invitation to Lord Elias Drakon, who we believe is also part of the entourage,” the guard announced, and a second later, Elias trotted from behind and stopped beside my carriage.
