45. A Good Start
It was the next day, in the middle of work, that Calista came to see Arganan.
"Calista." Arganan paused, put the broom he was using aside. Calista didn't look angry, but she didn't look happy to see him, either. If anything, she seemed worried, given her furrowed brows. It was just him in the shop, so he knew that he couldn't just up and leave it behind, at least not without Amber or Illuminata coming back (both of them had went to get lunch).
"Uncle." She took a deep breath, gazing around the florist shop, before looking him in the eye. "I heard about everything that happened."
"Before you start asking me about more debt," Arganan managed, offering her a sheepish glance, "I did drive the airship legally this time."
"It's not the airship business that I want to talk to you about." She shook her head, sighing. "It's about your letter."
He swallowed at the mention of it. "I…I know it was harsh, but what you told me in your previous letter reminded me of how I used to command you around like you're nothing but some possession. And honestly," He shook his head, closing his good eye briefly, "It scared me. That you'd become as horrible as I was to you."
"I guess I did word it pretty strongly, didn't I?" She shook her head. "It wasn't my intention. And I'm sorry it came across that way."
"I'm sorry," Arganan managed, "That I made such a bad example for you."
"What?"
A sigh left him this time. "After your father died, when I took over as Count, I should've been helping you when you grieved for losing him and your mother. But I ignored you. Took you for granted. I did a lot of things I shouldn't have done to you, and I was worried," He swallowed, "I was worried that you'd become exactly like how I was."
"I see." She nodded. She paused, her gaze shifting away from Arganan, and then towards him one more time. "I'm sure that you're aware that you're in the points system now, correct?"
"Yes." He nodded. "I know. Arthur told me the details. I'm just surprised that you bothered to give me the chance, in the first place."
"I would need an ambassador, eventually." She confessed. "Especially since I planned to start trade between Selphia and Lazulis, too. While I planned for you to simply stay in Selphia for the rest of your life, I realized that this might be a chance for you to not just recover, but maybe…change, for the better."
"I'm surprised you thought I could change for the better."
"I'm surprised, too." A soft chuckle left her at that. "But that was my thought process at the time. I figured I had little to lose at that point. If you didn't become a better person, I wouldn't have given you the chance to be an ambassador, and I would've asked Arthur or Frey to remove you from the Points system. Of course, I never expected Frey to appear in the first place, given how she suddenly dropped in and was initially mistaken to be the Princess when it was Arthur that was supposed to rule Selphia, but…when I started hearing about you and Frey bonding, I feared for her."
"Because you thought I might hurt her like I hurt you?"
She nodded. "Yes."
He didn't blame her for thinking so. "That's a fair statement."
'But then I heard about you becoming friends with her, and the others in town. How you started deliberately helping Frey with all that happened with the Rune Spheres, and more recently, the situation with the Sechs Empire." She looked back towards the door she walked through, then towards him. "I talked to quite a few people in town on the way here. A lot of them had good things to say about you. I've heard that you helped matchmake several people in town, helped them with various other situations, and…you've been good to them. I never thought that would happen before."
"To be honest," Arganan finally managed, "I never thought that would happen, either."
He hadn't expected to befriend anyone. Sure, get on their good sides, especially since he was staying in Selphia for who-knows-how-long, but other than that, not much else. But things had changed, clearly, and the question was: What was he supposed to do now?
"well," Calista offered him a soft smile, "I'm just glad that you're still alive. But to be honest," Her smile faded as soon as it came, "I don't know much of what to do now. I don't think the Gurak will be trading with the whole Kingdom of Norad, or Selphia itself too soon, due to various complications on their end with recovering from the war, but now that the war with the Sechs is over, I'm hoping to start organizing trade routes with Selphia. I've already been talking with Arthur and Frey about it, but I hope to include you in those discussions, soon."
"If you need my help," Arganan managed, "All of you have to do is ask."
She smiled. "I'd like that a lot, Uncle."
Before either of them could speak further, the bells rang briefly as Illuminata and Amber stepped in, holding bags of what Arganan rpesumed was food. "We're back!" Amber called, before she blinked, staring up at Calista before breaking into a smile. "Hello!"
"Hello." Calista offered Amber a smile, before Illuminata chuckled.
"Arganan's niece, right? Countess Calista Arganan? Welcome! Amber and I just got back from picking up food for lunch."
Arganan smelled the sweet scent wafting from the bags. "Are those…?"
"Fruit sandwiches? Heck yeah!" Illuminata took one out of the bag, offering it to him. "I also got some smoothies, too!" She paused, before looking towards Calista after Arganan gratefully took the sandwich. "Would you like to join us for lunch, Lady Calista?" Illuminata's eyes brightened, offering Calista a smile. "We got an extra order of sandwiches by accident, so you can have one of you'd like."
"Really?" Calista blinked, staring lightly at the self-proclaimed detective. "I don't want to intrude on your break…"
"These sandwiches were the first thing I ate when I arrived here." Arganan managed, looking towards his niece with a soft smile. He could still remember when Frey took him out to lunch, the first day they met. "They're really good, I promise."
"Well…" She paused, before nodding once, a smile coming to her face. "I suppose it'll be good to join you. Thank you."
The four spent the next hour eating fruit sandwiches and drinking smoothies. Arganan didn't think that such an event would ever happen ,but it was time well spent with his niece. Time spent catching up with her, peacefully, just like how it should have been between the two of them, back when he lived in Lazulis and ruled it. He was sure it would take a while to get back to better relations with Calista, but…this, and all the letters exchanged before now, was a good start.