"Tough day?" Rafael asked.
Maria sighed. "A little," she said. "Tax law is frustrating. What about you?"
"I kept Larna from making it snow inside the Ministry, and we only lost a little paperwork as a result," Rafael said. "So, it was a bit quiet at work."
That made Katarina look up from where she'd been intently practicing 'eating slowly' with Shana. "Snow?" she said after chewing and swallowing her food instead of just talking with food in her mouth. "Larna made it snow?"
"She was trying," Rafael said. "Something about a new invention by someone she was trying to surpass, though she'd put it down in the paperwork as 'regulating the temperature of the Ministry during the summer months'."
"Oh! That sounds so fun! It would be really nice if it would snow right now, it's so hot!" Katarina sighed wistfully, which as echoed by many of the other children around her.
Maria doubted they actually knew what they were talking about. Snow was rare in Sorcier, since most of the cold nortern winds that actually brought snow was blocked by the Deathfall Mountains where only the most foolhardy and reckless ventured… so, of course, it was full of keeps of Knight covenants, especially the Abyss Watchers, who ventured into the caves within it to live up to their name, while others hunted the wild crystal lizards—ravenous or otherwise—that populated it, and tried to tame the wild drakes, wyverns and dragon living at the peaks.
As soon as she'd heard of it, Maria had decided she wasn't getting within ten miles of the place. Cold, snow, AND deadly falls? No. Just no. Really, all it needed was some sort of poisonous swamp.
"Unfortunately, the thing about snow is that it melts," Rafael said. "So we everyone had to spend the afternoon mopping up and Larna's on paperwork detail until she can reconstruct all the papers that got wet. Though the idea itself wasn't bad. The building did get cooler. Now she just has to figure out how to do it without actual snow."
"Would it help if I showed her the magic tool we have in our carriage?" Katarina suggested. "My aunt made it, so we wouldn't be sweaty on the way back home."
Rafael blinked. "You have an aunt who makes magic tools?"
"Well, yeah. Who do you think made my I Scream-Maker magic tool?"
Huh. Maria had never considered that.
"Hey, if Maria-sensei is feeling down, would she feel better if I made some I Scream?"
Around her, all the other children perked up, sending hopeful looks towards Maria.
Well, how was she supposed to say no to that?
"Do we still have the ingredients?" she asked Sadako, standing next to her.
Sadako bowed. "Yes, my Lady Maria-dono. Kitchen stocked because Katarina-ojuosama not training."
Maria nodded and turned back to Katarina only to find dozens of wide, innocent eyes staring at her trying to look adorable…
"Yes, yes, you can make some," she said, and everyone cheered. "But only a little! It's late, and you know how it makes some of your stomachs bubble."
There was something that sounded vaguely like acknowledgement, but that was drowned out as children started crowding around Katarina, discussing the merits of what flavors they should try.
Obviously the correct answer was strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant or cherry, since it looked so delightfully bloody, but this was for the children, and she knew she'd like whatever flavor they chose.
Particularly since she'd had the kitchen staff hide any jam that wasn't strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant, or cherry.
It was her manor, after all, she might as well get a few perks from it.
"There might not be any need to prepare lunch," Maria told Ghirardeli the next morning. "Or possibly even dinner."
"Ah, so the Third Prince will finally be visiting, my lady?" her steward said. "That's good to hear, I had worried for his health for a moment there."
There was a choking noise from somewhere over by her accountants, but when Maria turned to look, someone was already hitting Lady Harker on the back to knock out whatever it was. She watched for a few moments in case that wasn't sufficient and the woman needed Light Magic, but it appeared that was not the case.
"Yes, but he was fine," Maria finally continued. "Can you have tables set outside, facing the fields? We might as well have a picnic out of it. And does the manor have a tent or something?"
"I believe the mayor has a few they use for town festival occasions," her steward said. "I'll have someone ride down to the town and ask to borrow them."
Maria nodded. "And remind everyone to be careful. My wards are getting better, but…"
"I'll remind the men, my lady," the steward said. "They understand. Shall I prepare the mix for Lady Katarina's magic tool?"
Maria nodded. "Just chill it a little in the cold room, but don't let it freeze." Last night's redcurrant I Scream had been delicious, but the children never seemed to tire of it, and as this was Katarina's last free day it was very probably they ask her to make more again, especially at lunch.
"I shall make the necessary preparations, my lady," the steward said.
"Hello Dame Campbell, I'm here to see the children and help with the farming," the Third Prince said as soon as he stepped out of his carriage, handing her a basket of various jams. Not the small, teatime-sized jams, but good, honest, large jars, the kind that could last all month—or in Katarina's case, two teatimes. Two of them were even some mouth-watering chocolate and hazelnut nutbutter mix that Maria had heard of but never actually seen, because it was always sold out. "I thought everyone would like to try something new. How are you? I heard about your mother and Katarina's maid, how absolutely surprising, that was most definitely the first that I had heard of it. How are the children? Doing well in their studies I hope? Where does Katarina need me, I'm sure there must still be some work to be done on the fields."
Perhaps she'd been a bit too hasty in accepting his reasoning for why he was not insane.
Instead of his usual white suit and red cape, the prince had arrived in the green farm work clothes he'd gotten from Katarina, complete with some kind of straw hat to sensibly protect his head from the sun in addition to a cloth to wipe away sweat.
"Hello, your highness," Maria said cautiously. "Are you… feeling well?"
"Never better. Why do you—why are you giving me the same look you gave me yesterday when you thought I'd gone insane?"
"I have children in this estate, your highness," Maria said.
"I haven't gone insane," he huffed. "We'll be doing farming, so I thought I'd dress appropriately. How is that insane?"
"You never have before," Maria pointed out. "Not without prompting, at least."
"I have, you just weren't around for it," he said. "Though that being said, I can understand your surprise. But no, I'm not insane. I just came prepared."
"That implies you came unprepared all the other times you've visited," Maria pointed out.
The Third Prince… smiled strangely. "I had a moment of insight, Lady Maria. It was very enlightening. I feel like I've opened eyes that had been closed all my life."
Maria kept her face smooth as her former Byrgenwerth education started screaming in panic, running around and tripping over jars of eyeballs lying on the ground. "How good for you," she said neutrally.
She had been wrong. Terribly wrong. The prince was starting to go insane! This is how it started! First they talked about enlightenment and insight, they started obsessing about some strange lore, then people started disappearing, their skulls torn open looking for eyes…
She should probably kill him now. As his friend, she had a duty to spare him all the pain he would cause in his madness, and she could make it quick and clean…
All it would take was to get behind him. She didn't even need a weapon, her hands would do…
Her hands shook.
His eyes flickered to the side, and a wide, honest smile split his face. "Katarina!" he cried, brushing past Maria like she didn't even exist. "Sorry it took so long to come here, I was just swamped with work…!"
Maria stood there, staring at nothing, the basket in her hands as the line of wagons full of foods and snack the prince had brought moved forward to be unloaded.
Ah. How had she not realized? It had been staring her right in the face the whole time, all these years. She had merely been too blinded by her biases to see it. But the signs had all been there. His genius, his excellence in his studies, his single-minded focus…
The Third Prince had always been insane, all this time she'd known him. His mind had broken from his genius and education long ago, locked into an obsession… and indeed, had people not disappeared? Audited, arrested, exiled, but effectively disappeared nonetheless.
She wasn't sure how splitting skulls open to look for eyes on the inside fit in, but maybe he hadn't gotten to that point yet?
Maria considered Lady Hunt. Lady Sophia. Lord Keith. Lord Ascart. Prince Alan… well, probably not Prince Alan.
Still, all the rest had been highly intelligent people, among the top in the Academy. That was why they had been on the Student Council, after all.
She remembered the looks in Lady Hunt's eyes, how she had always been—and still was—most likely to permanently eliminate her fellow lunatics in a bid to monopolize Lady Claes' time. How Lord Keith always stuck so closely to his sister, indecently so. All those books, filled with ancient, if fictional, lore that Lady Sophia read. As to Lord Ascart, who had also been on the Student Council…
With his face, he could a raving lunatic and we'd never be able to tell…
Maria stared as something damning came to her mind.
She had been the top of her class in her first year. She had risen to be President, after all. She had exceeded the Third Prince, who was most assuredly mad…
Sometimes I feel like you and I are the only sane people in our group. And no offense, but sometimes I'm not sure about you…
Slowly, Maria put a hand to her head.
"Oh no," she breathed.
+(null) Insight
For a long time, she just stood there, holding the basket, as the Third Prince's servants worked around her. Then she took a deep breath.
So. She might be mad. That did not change her duties, her responsibilities. That did not change the people she loved, that she cared for. It merely meant she must always be watchful, lest her madness consume her and she became a threat to them. But she had an advantage. At least she was aware that she might be mad. That had to be an advantage.
She tried not to think of the last person who had also been on the Student Council with them…