After returning to her lands to greet the children and apologize for not being able to see them sooner, and making arrangements with the children's caretakers to ask if any servants who'd been in the service of Marchioness Dieke and had detested the woman utterly would be willing to return to work at the manor, Maria and Katarina, riding a Claes carriage, returned to the Academy.
Maria sighed as the carriage rolled down the road. With the rooms available in what was formerly the Dieke manor, and the unused space left in the servant dormitory, everyone should just barely fit. For now. The problem was providing afterwards. Food, clothes, proper beds and privacy, not to mention facilities…
She might have to put the gunpowder projects on hold, or suspend it definitely.
"What's the matter?" Katarina said.
"I might have been rash in my promises," Maria admitted, sighing. "Hopefully the support the crown promised will be sufficient to make up for my failings."
"If it helps, I can donate my earnings from the school festival," Katarina said. "Who needs a new hoe, anyway?"
"I… think that might not be enough, and make you needlessly sad in any case," Maria said. She paused. "Though, if you are willing to teach them how to farm…"
"Oh, yes! They might not know how to tend crops from here," Katarina said, nodding in agreement.
"Besides that, Lady Claes, I have a favor to ask of you," Maria said.
"Sure!" Katarina said cheerfully.
"I need you… to teach me how to speak the Ashina tongue," Maria said. "If I am going to be protecting them, I'll need to know how to understand them myself. I realize this is a great imposition–-"
"Oh, no problem!" Katarina said airily. "I can teach you! Er… although it might be a while, I've never really taught anyone before…"
"Thank you, Lady Katarina," Maria said. "I don't know how I'll be able to repay–"
"Cookies at every lesson!" Katarina said eagerly, cookies in her eyes.
Maria sighed guiltily. While convenient, sometimes she felt like such a thief. "Very well then. You have my thanks. And the same again for acting as translator?"
"Well, I wouldn't say no…"
Such a thief.
People were still in practical classes when they arrived in mid-afternoon. Maria had Katarina go back to her room to get dressed, as the morning's work had gotten her a little dirty. Maria winced at some of those stains. Poor Duchess Claes. She felt great sympathy for the woman, having to teach Katarina propriety. Some of those stains looked perfectly avoidable, if Katarina had only taken proper care in her movements.
Sighing, Maria reported to the Lord Principal, officially filing for retroactive absences for herself and Katarina. She seldom had to go personally, but this time it seemed appropriate. Lord Principal Siegmann was surprisingly understanding about it all, and even provided special absence forms for it. Maria was both gladdened and exasperated to find there were specific excused absence forms for being kidnapped, going on a knightly quest to save a damsel in distress, being recruited for impromptu work for the crown and recovering after an epic battle between good and evil.
Maria was a bit dubious about using that last, since the battle hadn't seemed very epic, but the Principal assured her it was reasonable hyperbole and easier than trying to use another form.
"To be honest, last time it was used was when some student had gotten it into their head they were the 6th coming of Seath the Scaleless and started taking other students in the night to do… oh, the usual nonsense one does when they think they're the old wyrm," the Lord Principal said. "A trio of students decided to rescue their classmates instead of doing the smart thing and telling the teachers."
"What happened to them?" Maria asked, morbidly curious.
"Well, one of them was a commoner, someone's bastard with a potter's daughter, he died first because he didn't really know how to use magic. Not as diligent in his studies as you are. Then the red-head died, because he was a bit more brave than smart, though in hindsight I've found myself doubting that story. The third student managed to rescue some, put the rest out of their misery, killed the lunatic and dragged everyone back, and then passed out," the Lord Principal said, shaking his head. "Damned shame. Very inauspicious start to my first year becoming a teacher."
"What happened to her?" Maria asked. "The one who survived?"
"Yeah… funny thing that. It turned out she was the 6th coming of the Scaleless, and the whole thing awakened his Soul inside her," the Lord Principal sighed. "Poor girl. It's always messy when the wyrm comes back."
"I see. My condolences, Lord Principal Siegmann," Maria said. "Incidentally, may I compliment you on your sword? It appears very fine."
"What, this old thing?" the Lord Principal said, gesturing to the greatsword that hung on the wall behind his desk. Its bluish-green blade seemed to glow slightly. "Thank you. Got it a few years after I started teaching. Should really get back to giving it a swing one of these days… Well, just get the paperwork back when you can, no rush. Incidentally, congratulations."
"About what, sir?"
"You– well, you and your group– received a Merit Award for your alchemy display. And another one for your display of swordsmanship in the play, many were very impressed, myself included. I understand Lady Claes received the latter as well. Do inform and congratulate her?"
"I shall, Lord Principal," Maria said, giving him a bow. "By your leave?"
The Lord Principal nodded, waving her off.
Belatedly, Maria realized she forgot to ask him again about his robes again. They were an interesting white leather of a sort she had never seen before, with a fascinating sheen. Shrugging, she put it out of her mind. She could ask him some other time.
After going to her room to get away her suit and get changed into a uniform, she checked with Lady Claes. Her room was empty, but one of her servants told Maria, with the resigned air of someone who no longer cared and was waiting only for the sweet release of death, that Lady Claes had gone to tend her garden (it was a vegetable patch!). Maria was also thanked vociferously for rescuing their lady, which was a little embarrassing, but it was clear the servants had been worried about losing their position for… well, losing their charge.
After that, her next stop was the student council room, which was empty.
Maria frowned at the desk Lady Ascart usually used. The word 'redrum' was written over and over on its surface in red soapstone chalk. To be fair, it looked like someone had scrubbed it clean once or twice, only to start writing on it again. She hadn't thought the girl was the sort to enjoy such strong spirits. She'd have to remind her to erase it later.
The pile of paperwork at her desk got a disapproving frown. It was much larger than she expected it to be. Clearly, some people weren't working as hard as they should be.
Shaking her head, she sat down and got to work.
She did not look up some time later when the door opened.
"Lady President!" someone exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, I'm back," she said, still going down the post-festival reports of the earnings of several ventures, marking those who seemed suspiciously low for possible tax evasion.
There were hurried footsteps and her desk was suddenly engulfed in shadow. Sighing, Maria looked up, giving Katarina's retinue a displeased look. Sure, two of them were princes and everyone else outranked, but they were in school and she was Head Clerk, that counted for something here. "Please do not dally, we have much paperwork to do. Lady Ascart, wipe your desk clean, it is school property."
"Where's Lady Katarina? Is she safe?" Lady Hunt demanded.
Maria sighed and drew a blank sheet to her, and started writing on it. "If I tell you, do you all promise to sit down and get to work, as you are supposed to be doing? Actually, shouldn't you already know by now?"
"No news from the capital has been coming to the Academy," the Third Prince said angrily. "There were rumors from the Ministry, but the vice-director of the Magic Tool Department ordered a stop to that."
Maria frowned. "So you've been here, with nothing to do, no information to act on, nothing to distract you… and you STILL managed to be behind on the paperwork?"
"Lady Katarina had been kidnapped!" Lady Ascart cried. Maria should have been more intimidated by her beast-like red eyes, but the girl was simply too short to be taken seriously. "Who cares about paperwork?"
"Everyone affected by your tardiness," Maria said. "Which includes teachers who are waiting on your work to be able to do their work, and so on so forth. You have already heard my terms. I will tell you what you want to know if you sit down and get to work. Agreed?"
"Fine," Prince Alan growled. "Whatever."
Maria held up the contract she just finished writing while they were looming over her. "Sign here," she said, pointing for the places for their signatures. "All of you."
Lord Claes blinked, looking down at her desk, surprise momentarily overcoming his worry and lust. "Wow. You work fast."
"I'm President," Maria said flatly.
With indignant and annoyed looks, the five of them signed, not even bothering to read what she had written.
Maria worried for this country, she really did.
"Lady Cavendish, would you please sign as witness?" Maria said.
Lady Cavendish, to her credit, DID read it, likely due to habit formed from her training in managing her father's plantation. Beyond a blink, however, she did not react, and signed as the witness.
Maria looked it over, nodded and added her own signature. "Lady Claes is tending to her garden with Miss Shelley. Now, please get back to work."
There was a mad dash for the door, which was halted as Lady Cavendish smoothly stepped in front of it to bar their way.
"Out of the way, Lady Diana," the Third Prince said sternly.
Lady Cavendish coughed delicately. "Your highness, did you perhaps remember to read the agreement you just signed?"
The Third Prince looked like he wanted to argue. Lord Claes, in a show of good sense, turned towards Maria, who helpfully handed him the contract, and he started reading out loud. "We the undersigned hereby agree to… location of Lady Katarina Claes… in exchange for… three days of good effort work in the student council… starting immediately after acquisition of information… if non-compliant… no more sweets for Katarina Claes to be produced by Maria Campbell for all eternity?"
"Hmm," Maria said as she got back to work. "Have fun explaining to her why I shall never create another baked good for her to consume. I'm sure she'll understand and not come to resent any of you."
"Your sweets aren't that good," Lady Hunt said acerbically as she took the contract and read it herself.
"If you really believe that, feel free to leave," Maria said as she got back to work.
Lady Cavendish stepped away from the door and nonchalantly returned to her desk to continue her paperwork. The others, to their credit, had never stopped.
Maria didn't look up as she felt the Third Prince, Lady Hunt, Lord Claes and Lady Ascart glare at her.
Prince Alan chuckled. "Well, at least she's all right," he said, and got back to work.
Eventually, work commenced.
Maria let out a sigh of relief that they hadn't called her bluff. As if she would really stop making sweets for Katarina. She'd already given her word, after all.
All was well with the world.
The next day, the student council found that Katarina and Maria were gone again, returned to the capital early that morning. Under the note explaining this was the contract and a reminder they had two more days to go.
"We're sure she's not after Katarina for herself or anything, right?" the Third Prince said suspiciously. "Because she really seems like she's keeping Katarina all to herself."
"I miss the days when Maria avoided her," Keith sighed.
"Okay, let's start with a simple phrase that you can use today when we see them again. The phrase for 'good morning' in Ashinago is 'ohayō," Katarina said patiently as they rode. "Say it with me now, 'ohayō'."
"Ohio," Maria said.
"Er, no. I'll say it slower: 'o-hay-ō'."
"'Oh-hei-oh'."
"No, don't use long sounds for everything, only the last one is pronounced long, and not even by much."
"I'm pronouncing it the same way you are."
"No, you're not! You're really not!"
Katarina would eventually wonder if cookies was worth all this aggravation. But only briefly. Because cookies.
