Sophia smiled widely as she waved goodbye to Maria, riding away in her carriage that had no one driving it. After all these months, they'd all stopped bothering to ask how she did that. It was just one of those things that happened around Maria. A part of her was amused that there was a second person in her life she could use that phrase about. Keith was right, Maria and Katarina could be very similar at times. Although of course, Lady Katarina was the infinitely more wonderful one!

She kept waving as the carriage went down the driveway, following after the carriage with Katarina's cousin. She seemed a nice girl, and Sophia almost believed she wasn't competition… but it was Katarina! Historical trends suggested the opposite was more likely. Sophia would give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but she was already resigned to having another competitor in the battle for Katarina's heart, and all the bits attached to it.

Sophia kept waving as Maria's wagon began to travel down the road. Her arm was starting to get tired.

Finally, Maria's carriage went around a bend and out of sight and Sophia, stilling smiling widely, began to skip towards the knight's dormitories.

At some point, Maria had decided the best way to secure and protect the secrets of their two manufactories was to build a wall that encompassed both of the, put where the knights slept, ate and trained inside the wall, and put a deep dry moat around everything, that could only be crossed by a single path. The path was guarded by knights of the Royal Guard, who guarded in groups of four while other patrolled around the wall and the borders of the estate.

Katarina was inside this wall of protection, and Sophia would finally have the time to see her! Sophia hadn't realized how much being a senior partner in a business ate into her time! The past week, everytime she tried to find the time to slip away and spend time with Katarina, Maria had been there like a… a… a stupid giant owl keeping Sophia away by making her talk about important business-related things! Like sulphur shipments and Maria's attempts to make 'shit farms' (Maria called them saltpeter farms, but Sophia knew a shitfarm when she heard one, she'd been helping Katarina farm for years!) in her lands and Sophia trying to get her mom to let Sophia do the same in Ascart lands and stupid, annoyingly responsible things! No more! She was going to see Lady Katarina, and even if she had to stop sleeping all week so she could do the things Maria does– which was a lot, and Sophia didn't remember doing this much while Maria had been away and oh shit, did Maria actually find MORE things to do?– she was going to spend all the time she could this week with Lady Katarina!

After all, as a founding partner, she had a right to be anywhere. Maria had a very specific, badge-based authorization system, where the Royal guard were not to allow people without certain badges into certain areas. This meant that nightflower workers weren't allowed into the Gehrman manufactory, and the smiths of the arsenal weren't allowed into the powder manufactory, and people without the right badge or invitation weren't allowed into the manor, and people without invitation or a badge weren't allowed into the estate at all. it was a bit complicated, but once you remembered what all the badges were it was quick and meant that anyone without a badge was an intruder the knights could go nuts on.

All in all, it made things very secure.

So Sophia smiled and held up her badges at the entrance through the wall protecting all their factories, and the knight waved her through. Inside, the sounds of hammers and pestles and barrels being rolled– both wooden and metal– was louder, and Sophia took a moment to bask in the sound of money being made in the future.

Off to the side, there was a cry of torment and great suffering, as of someone in being tortured horribly.

"Lady Katarina!" Sophia cried, zeroing on the sound instantly

Okay, she might have to kick Maria's ass for this… metaphorically, of course, Sophia knew it would be an ashy day at the end of the world before she'd even come close to kicking Maria's ass.

She turned and ran towards the nearer of the knight dormitories. It sounded like Katarina was in the training ground between the Sir and Dame dormitories, which for some reason was walled off, just like the baths and dining hall. She flashed her badges at the knight sitting outside the door sharpening her twinblade and darted in–

Only to bounce back out as someone grabbed the back of her dress and gently but firmly pulled her out.

"I'm sorry, Lady Sophia," the knight said, an apologetic smile on her face. "I can't let you inside. Authorized personnel only."

What?

"What?" Sophia exclaimed. "Since when?!"

"Since always," the knight said. "No entry is allowed unless you have a Knight Dormitory Badge."

ARGH! Darn it Maria, how dare your security measures foil Sophia's plans to see Lady Katarina! Still, this was only a minor setback. What was one day.

"Ah, I guess I don't have that one," Sophia said. "I'll go talk to Maria to see I'm issued one…"

The knight was already shaking her head. "I'm afraid only General Solcrista, Colonel Titanites or Squad Captain Drummond can issue one for security reasons."

"EH?!" Sophia said. "Wait, how am I supposed to get in?"

"I'm afraid that's not for me to say," the knight said.

"Does Maria have one of these dormitory badges?" Sophia asked, wondering if she had misheard the sound of torment.

"Oh, of course," the knight said. "It's her estate after all, it would be rude to prevent her from entering anywhere she pleased."

Sophia's eyebrow twitched. "W-well, I need to talk to Captain Drummond. Maria and eye switched duties this week, so I need to, uh… get in and… er, inspect that all facilities are in order and you have everything you need!"

"Oh, that's unnecessary, Dame Campbell already did this month's inspection, and we've already got the new dartboard and kettle," the knight said. "She even gave us new whetstones and armor polish! The good stuff that doesn't smell funny!

There was another sobbing, soul-wracking cry of torment that was definitely coming from inside.

Sophia leapt towards the sound, only to once more be grabbed by the back of her dress and gently but firmly pulled out.

"You have Lady Katarina in there, don't you," Sophia said. It wasn't a question.

"Squire Claes is undergoing her squire training, yes," the knight said, still smiling.

"Look, uh…" Sophia paused, finally wracking her brain for the woman's name… Overwood, that was it! Angua Overwood. "Dame Overwood, is there any chance you can maybe let me see Lady Katarina?"

"I'm sorry Lady Ascart, no unauthorized personnel are allowed inside the dormitories," Dame Overwood said. "I'm afraid I'll have to insist you not try going in a third time or I shall be forced to knock you unconscious and send you to the jail."

Sophia seriously considered whipping out the Wind Magic and just fighting her way in. Even as she thought it, Dame Overwood started caressing the twinblade she'd been sharpening, and Sophia felt her eyes being directed towards the wide, crimson-tinged iron blades. They had the distinct sheen of having been heavily alloyed with Titanite

"Well, I should probably get going," Sophia said with rebellious brightness. "Got lots to do, after all."

"As you say, Lady Ascart," Dame Overwood said, nodding. "It was nice of you to stop by and check on our wellbeing."

Sophia smiled brightly, then walked away stiffly, her mind racing. Curse you, Maria Campbell! she thought in her mind like a talented magical soldier who believed firmly in free market capitalism. How had it come to this?!

However, Sophia Ascart would not be deterred! She was on a mission of love and NOTHING would kep her away from Lady Katarina!-!-!-!-!

…

Maria found herself whistling pleasantly as she marked off another name on the list Sophia had given her. Really, arranging commissions was a nice change of pace. While many of those she dropped in to visit had apparently been expecting Sophia, and went mildly red with outrage at her scandalous garb (trousers! On a woman, even if she was a knight! SCANDAL!), they at least received her politely and properly, and the outrage faded slightly once she was able to get them on the subject of nightflowers. Some had to be dissuaded from some rather elaborate and likely impossible displays, such as having a detailed portrait of a loved one– usually their own self– hanging in the sky all night.

Still, Maria was able to come away from each meeting with at least a reservation for a future date, complete with reservation fee, or a commission for a doable nightflower display. In between she had time to relax in her carriage as she traveled between appointments. She was actually able to take a nap!

Really, Maria was grateful to Sophia for suggesting this change of pace. It would probably get more stressful once she finished through Sophia's arranged appointments and started needing to arrange her own, but for now it was a nice, restful, slow day…

Sophia looked left and right. The coast was clear.

Quickly, she dragged the ladder she had 'liberated' from the nightflower manufactory and bought it up to the wall around the training ground between the two knight dormitories. Gently, she placed the ladder against the wall. After one last look around, she quickly scrambled to the top.

"Lady Katarina!" she called out as she crested the wall.

Dame Overwood gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid she had to go do her turn at the kitchen, Lady Ascart," she said, putting down her longbow.

Sophia had just enough time to noticed there seemed to be some sort of walkway long the top of the wall before she found her ladder being pushed away…

She felt a strangely resigned sense of anger as she began to fall from a great height.

Even after breaking her fall with some elementary wind magic, why did she feel like she should have died?

Grumbling, she stomped off, feeling a strong urge to drink something. Then stomped back again to grab the ladder and bring it back to the manufactory, as they'd be needing it.

Maria found herself having lunch at the capital.

It was actually the first time she'd ever had to eat at the capital by herself. All times before, it was either with Lady Katarina or as part of some kind of business trip with Lady Sophia. This was the first time she was actually eating by herself.

As it was a relaxing day so far, she decided to take a bloodecho from the mistress of relaxation and have lunch at a café Lady Katarina often recommended. Fortunately, they had a vacancy, and she found herself being seated at an empty table. She was amused to find that the fried vegetables that Lady Katarina had pioneered at the School Festival was to be found on the menu.

As she had time before her next appointment, she was able to enjoy a leisurely lunch. While she of course enjoyed the company of the children in her manor, she had to admit it was… not-unpleasant… to have a lunch all to herself.

A pity they had no blood. Oh well.

The wooden barrel stood still, like a perfectly ordinary wooden barrel should.

It rose a bare finger's width, and scuttled closer to the dormitory, then stopped.

It rose, and then scuttled again, then stopped next to the door, a completely ordinary barrel.

It rose–

Sophia yelped as someone picked up the barrel, revealing her crouched beneath it.

"Okay, that was the stupidest, silliest thing I've ever seen," Dame Overwood said. "Now run along, Lady Ascart. Don't' you have paperwork to do."

Sophia gave her an imperious glare, but rose with dignity. "I'd like my barrel back," she said with lofty poise, and was given said container.

As she stomped away, muttering under her breath, the thought came to her that she should have used a box made of… paper? Yes, the plan would definitely have worked if she'd used such a box instead of a barrel.

Katarina stared at the textbook before her. she could remember nearly every character of Night Fall's many, many, many books, knew who was a time-traveling version of who from which point in the timeline, had memorized the many appearances of the pendant so she could theorize what it could do. So why couldn't she remember the contents of a book she'd just read a week ago? It was so boring! And complicated! And boring! And she got the feeling it was all very impolite! True, it spoke about was behavior was considered rude a lot, but she got the sense it was telling you this so you could do it.

Argh! Why couldn't noble society be simple? You say 'sorry' when you do something wrong, you say 'thank you' if someone gives you something or does something nice for you, you say 'please' when you're asking for something. And yeah, noble society had that too. But it also had, like, too many forks! This was why she got one fork when she ate from the buffet and stuck with it!

She could hear the knights of the royal guard as they practiced or talked or did maintenance on their weapons and armor. Maria had told her to ignore them and study, and Katarina got the feeling the knights had been asked not to bother her. Katarina had only The Book of Doom in front of her, the blackboard, and all day to study. Still, she felt like this book was rotting her brain. The stress of it was getting to her, such that she'd even hallucinated Sophia calling her name while she'd been helping prepare lunch for everyone!

She'd dodged the bad ends, right? Why did this feel like a truly terrible 'the idiot protagonist is just made an illogical decision that actually got him killed and now the busty oneesan is sucking out his blood' ending? Nevertheless, Katarina persisted! She kept reading the chapters– why were the letters so tiny when the book was so big?!– then read them again when she realized she'd gotten to the bottom of the page and had forgotten everything that came before it, including what she'd just read.

Why was this happening to her? She knew she was a villainess, but she wasn't this kind of torture illegal or something?

Why won't it stop? She just wanted it to stop. Really, all she wanted was to become a knight so she could do her duty. How did things turn out like this?

She wanted to give up. She wanted to give up so bad. She wanted to end this, find her hoe, and do some farming. Farming didn't hurt her. farming didn't make her brain hurt and feel like she was down to three braincells…

…

With a sigh, Katarina went back to the beginning of the chapter once more, the notebook she'd made from some folded papers to one side. She examined what she'd made notes on, winced as they didn't make sense, and started reading again.

A/N: So, my Pat-reon is up now at P.A.T.R.E.O.N.C.O.M -/-SCM2814. If you want to support this fic, that would be great, but no pressure. But if you do, you'll also get advanced access to my new original fiction series about a wizard on the frontier, her dungeon, and the idiots around her...