Chapter 12

Serana was bustling around the guildhall, helping Mira out by serving food and drinks to the other Fairy Tail members for the dinner rush. Many people were home recently as the bad weather had caused some jobs to be cancelled or rescheduled. Therefore there were more people to be served, and Serana had offered her assistance, which Mira was grateful for and thanked her every chance she got throughout the evening.

After things had quietened down, Mira sent her off to get something to eat for herself and rest, which she only agreed to after Mira had eaten dinner herself. The white-haired woman was very self-sacrificing and would go hours without a break just to look after everyone else first. Thus, Serana had deemed it necessary to step in and ensure that Mira had something to eat before leaving her to work on her own for the rest of the night. The older girl appreciated her consideration but shooed her away after everything was cleaned up. At about 10 pm, Serana headed towards the dormitory and saw Cana coming out of the bathroom. It reminded her to ask about the ball, so she called out to get Cana's attention.

"Hey, Cana!" Serana power walked over to her as Cana turned and smiled at her. "I have a request for you. Would you like to come with me to the fundraising ball at the palace? I thought you'd enjoy it, and we could have fun dressing up together." Cana's eyes widened, and she clasped Serana's hands and nodded excitedly.

"That would be amazing! I'd love to go! Thank you so much!" The girls smiled happily and chuckled as they chatted for a few minutes about what to wear.

Serana had never bothered with having fancy clothes since they usually just got wrecked on missions. Not so much since there wasn't any more magic, but it did sound fun to enjoy dressing up for a fancy event. She hadn't worn makeup in a long time or done her nails, so it would be nice to dedicate some time to that, and she probably needed to focus on self-care anyway. It would be an excellent excuse to treat herself, and it would be even better for her to have some fun with Cana.

Without being told too much, the King mentioned that the Cana he knew in Earthland was a raucous, heavy drinker with a dark sense of humour. The Cana she knew was the opposite; demure and polite, who somewhat kept to herself. It wasn't that she didn't belong or fit into the group, but she was happy to be a part of the guild and watch from the back with a smile on her face. Since she read a lot and was incredibly intelligent, they often discussed books they had read and analysed the plot and characters. They had also talked about some historical events, and Cana had been kind enough to listen while Serana ranted about things she was interested in. Cana would enjoy the intellectual nature of the ball and would be able to appreciate what important role the repairs for Veruze would have. She was also well-mannered and would fit in at the ball. Her calm demeanour would also help her feel more at ease, even when nervous.

After the girls parted ways, Cana returned to her room, and Serana did the same. She spent the rest of the night before she slept writing a list of things that she would need for the night. As it was her first time doing something like this, she was worried that she would make a fool of herself or not dress correctly.

There wasn't anyone else in her shared room as the others were away, so she talked to herself and paced around while she thought about what to wear and prepare beforehand. Just before she decided it was time to get some sleep, she sat down on her bed and checked the list, talking loudly to herself.

"Let's see…shoes, bag, maybe a necklace or bracelet to go with it? What colour dress should I wear?" As she spoke, she glanced around at the few pieces of clothing the other girls had around to get some ideas. Hopefully, Cana would be able to help her out with this sort of thing since she always dressed well and looked pretty.

She spied a lovely emerald green on one of the girls' bedspreads and nodded to herself approvingly. Bright colours had never been her, so she usually dressed in blacks, greys and darker colours, but that wouldn't be appropriate for a ball. Jewel colours would be more acceptable but not too bright to draw attention to herself. Not that she expected she would be the centre of attention.

Now that she was feeling organised, a smile came across her face as she remembered why she was going to the ball in the first place. She would have to take some time over the next few days to study Veruze and its history a little better since she only knew a few things about it. There were a few books in the palace library that had research about the area, so she would possibly go and visit tomorrow or the next day to see if she could spend some time there to study them. Dreyer would also point her in the right direction for any good books on the topic.

For now, though, it had gotten late, and it was time to sleep. After turning off the light, Serana hopped into bed and took some deep breaths to relax before she drifted off to sleep…

Jellal was heading outside the Royal City today to meet with the engineers working on a solution to the power sources for Edolas. He had set them to task almost immediately after he was crowned, so he was desperately hoping they had found a solution that could be implemented within the next decade. The scale that would be required was immense, but they needed to find a feasible solution first.

Coco was chatting away and taking notes about things she needed to do when they returned to the palace. It was about a two-hour trip to the laboratory, and she managed to talk the entire time, with him only adding a few words here and there. Coco was the kind of person who greatly benefited from sound boarding her thoughts with someone else, so it was good for him to just sit and listen. He also found it calming to listen to her as she organised everything out loud and then wrote it down, as he was also able to feel like everything was under control as she spoke.

When they finally arrived, a few workers met them out the front, including the Chief Engineer, whom he had initially given the task to. His name was Heron, and he had been raised in the Agra Plains, which was at least a day's travel from the Royal City. Through the unfortunate circumstance of being employed by his father, he had worked on the Dorma Anim. Despite the reason for its construction, it had been an impressive engineering feat. They no longer had magic to use, so it would be a lot more challenging, but it seemed that hadn't stopped them from making progress.

"Your Grace, I'm so pleased to see you. We have a lot to show you today, so I hope you have a few hours spare." Heron gestured for them to enter the building, and Coco trailed behind him softly as he followed Heron inside.

The other engineers and staff bowed to greet him as they shuffled further into the lab. He was introduced to a few of them as he went and did his best to be friendly and approachable. They all seemed excited to see him, giving him hope that there had been some significant progress.

Heron led them through to a larger area where they had constructed a vast machine with a magical car hooked up to it. Although Jellal wasn't sure how it was powering it, the room was quite warm and humid, so he wondered if it was something to do with heat. Some engineers were already gathered and waiting for them, so Jellal took the time to shake hands and thank them for their work. Of course, this was only the start of the process if they had found a viable solution that could be used on a large scale, but it was a starting point.

"Your Grace, we have been working on a steam engine and have managed to create a large one that can power this magical car. In time, we will likely be able to refine the process and make it smaller, but now it would be suitable for long-distance transport such as trains. Let's demonstrate, shall we?" Heron turned to speak to his co-workers, who nodded and smiled.

They turned it on, and the noises were much louder than he had expected. One of the engineers was turning a wheel that seemed to control a part rising and falling as it rotated. There was a sharp hiss, and then another engineer turned the car on, and it sputtered briefly before it came to life. They couldn't drive it anywhere as the machine was giving it the power to run, but it was still an outstanding achievement. Coco was clapping excitedly and grinning happily on his left, and he couldn't help but smile. The engineer turned the wheel faster, and the car got louder as more power was poured into it, just like it was powered by magic.

"This is incredible. I am pleased to see you've already made great progress!" Jellal said loud enough for them to hear over the machine and car noise.

As the wheel slowed to a stop, the car began to sputter again before it died and went silent again. This was impressive, especially if it was something that could be used in larger areas before modifications and improvements could be made to make it smaller and more efficient. A train would be a great place to start as the trains currently in Edolas were stuck at the stations. Long-distance transport would allow trade to continue thriving throughout the country and help those who would travel for work. Getting this engine manufactured would take time, but at least the process would be constantly improved as they got better and faster at making them.

"I think you're right. A train or another large transport would be good to use, so you don't have to worry about the size and weight of the engine. As more get made, you'll get better, and they'll become more efficient. Would you like me to organise getting a train brought to the lab for you?" Jellal offered, and Coco was already preparing to write things down, not wanting to miss out on any crucial details.

"That would be fantastic, Your Grace. We are so glad you are pleased with our progress, and we will keep working hard to research if this will be a suitable option for power in Edolas." Heron responded with a proud smile, and some of the other engineers had the same expression.

"Even if you don't think this is a good option for large-scale power needs like cities, then having the transportation will still allow an amount of freedom and trade that we haven't had in years. There will not be a downside to this since we can use it for many different things." Jellal offered, and although this scientific understanding was incredible, he was intelligent enough to understand most of it.

"That was what we were thinking as well. Thank you l, Your Grace." Heron couldn't conceal his pride, but Jellal didn't want him to. He deserved an enormous favour from the Royal Family, so he'd keep that in mind.

For the next several hours, Jellal and Coco toured the lab and were shown more in-depth research on steam and what they had done to test it out. It was great to see that they finally got to a working prototype after all the time and investment he had made into the research. He knew they would come through, and a perfect solution wouldn't be created overnight. With this prototype, he would also be able to justify using more money from the treasury and ask for donations from nobility and other prominent members of society.

"How long before we can start generating a working train prototype?" Jellal asked, and Heron responded with a grin.

"I'm glad you asked. We've already begun machining the parts, and once that's done, we can work on the assembly. It should be at least a few months, though, just to make sure we can ensure its operational before we invite you back." Heron's excited tone was reassuring.

"Excellent. Thank you so much, everyone. I am grateful beyond words for all your efforts." Jellal gave the group a bow of thanks, which they returned.

"Shall we head back, Your Grace?" Coco piped up from behind him on his right, ever the shadow.

"I think that would be prudent. We should let everyone get some rest for the day. In fact…" He turned to Coco and made a gesture that she immediately understood.

Pulling out a small container, Jellal handed it to Heron, who took it with a raised eyebrow in confusion.

"A token of my gratitude. Please ensure you finish up shortly and take everyone out for a meal." Jellal smiled as Heron opened the container and saw the sum of money in there. He had made sure he brought enough to afford the whole team a nice meal, and he would also be sending them an extra bonus in their pay packet for this month. But that would be a secret for now.

"Thank you, Your Grace. I certainly will!" Heron grinned from ear to ear and bowed again before showing them out.

"Thank you, and see you next time," Jellal said his goodbyes, and Heron and his team answered in kind before waving him off as he left in the carriage.

While they were returning to the Royal City, Coco was mostly quiet but madly taking notes about their trip. It gave Jellal some time to think about things and the future that he was trying to prepare for. The lining on the cloud was getting more and more silver, the light at the end of the tunnel getting brighter. Edolas would soon be better than ever…

"What a beautiful day." Her voice was soft and kind, just loud enough for him to hear since he was so close.

He looked to his left to see the blanket they were both laying on and then her. She smiled at the sky, colours mixing together as the sunset. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she breathed, calm and even. She must have felt his eyes on her, so she turned to look at him. Her smile grew, and her cheeks flushed with a soft colour, somewhat dulled by the sunset's pinks, oranges and reds.

Sitting up on one elbow, he kept eye contact with her, and she copied his movements expectantly. Shuffling closer, although they were already close, he lifted a hand to the side of her head. He combed his fingers through her hair a few times before cupping her cheek. Their breath mingling between them, he leaned nearer as her eyes shut and her chin tilted upward.

No sooner did he feel her soft lips barely brush his own…

"Your Grace." Coco gently nudged him awake. "We're back in the city."

"Hmm? Oh, thank you, Coco. I didn't realise I dozed off." Jellal responded with a drowsy voice.

"You were off in your own world for a while, but I think you dozed off about twenty minutes after we left the lab." Coco smiled and spoke softly.

"I would like to visit Serana, but it might be too late by the time we get back and get everything sorted." He mainly mused to himself but said it out loud anyway.

"I've already written most of the report, so it isn't much you'll need to do except add in your thoughts and comments." Coco gestured to her notebook that she carried everywhere with her.

"That's what you were scribbling on the way back?" He continued when she nodded with a smile. "I'm sure you deserve a pay rise, Coco. Please remind me of this once we get this new technology going. Our economy will boom, and you deserve much more than you get."

"I'm happy to be of service, Your Grace," Coco said with a bashful tone, but he knew she was grateful for the praise.

They arrived back at the palace and disembarked from the carriage. As they walked inside, Coco reviewed her notes so that Jellal could write a report and pass it on to the Court. This would be a perfect opportunity to write it up since he had made sure to not schedule anything else for today, but he did want to visit Serana. Being committed as he was, he knew that the report came first, so he would hopefully get it done soon and then go and see his friend…