The group roamed, catching up on what they had been doing lately. As the strolled, they received the usual looks. Lord Ascart was lavished with dazed and desirous expressions, while Lady Hunt seemed equally feared and admired. Sophia walked with her face smug and head held high as many people tried to catch her attention and failed miserably. Maria, for her part, received the usual outraged looks directed for her manner of dress. She couldn't think why. Several young women had apparently chosen to garb themselves in similar styles for this occasion, and yet she seemed to be the target of everyone's red-faced ire. It seemed most unfair, especially since Rafael seemed to be receiving a share of that ire merely from association.
Lord Ascart, of course, spoke of how he had been entombed with work back at the capital, and that today was one of the few days he was free, owing to his family's invitation from Duchess Claes. Lady Mary had, to hear her tell it, merely been whiling her time at home in her garden, being completely uninteresting and unimportant and not secretly controlling her family from the shadows. Lady Sophia had been reading books in her free time and, hopefully, been doing her part to prepare their joint business ventures for their absence when it came time for the International Assembly.
"And you?" Sophia said with a grin towards Maria and Rafael. "What have you been doing now that your squire's away at home?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Anything you'd care to share?"
"I've been able to devote more time to morning drills," Maria said. "While teaching my squire has been a pleasure, with her temporary absence I have been able to devote more time to my own training."
"Oh, I bet you get drilled in the morning," Sophia said, still waggling her eyebrows. "What—"
Lord Ascart reached over and slapped a hand over his sister's mouth, giving Rafael an apologetic look.
"Thank you for that," Rafael said with a relieved sigh. "How about we talk about something else?"
"Ah, Dame Maria!" a familiar voice greeted, and Maria slowed to behold Dame Matthew walking towards them, the others doing the same as Lord AScart released his sister. "Lady Hunt! Lady Sophia! Master Rafael!" She blinked.
Her fellow knight wore a lovely purple dress upon her build that day, a round shield on her back. Following after her were two young women, one in an orange dress with her pale blonde hair fixed in a braid, the other in red and white, with her hair in twin tails. Both seemed like they were choking as they followed in the knight's wake.
"Greetings, Dame Matthew," Maria nodded, and the two nights exchanged bows. "I must apologize for missing tea. An unexpected issue arose that I had to stay on top of." Rafael's hand, his fingers entwined with her, twitched slightly. "I hope the cookies and cupcakes reached her grace?"
"Oh yes, they were delicious, Dame Maria," Dame Matthew said with a smile. "I'm sorry you couldn't attend, though it was probably for the best. Mother was very intent on getting your blood that day. Ah, but don't worry, we managed to get her syringes away from her today, so she shouldn't be able to do anything of the sort."
Maria blinked, a medley of horrific thoughts cascading within her at the words—
"Oh!" Rafael exclaimed next to her. "I didn't think it polite to bother you about it before, but does that mean your mother is the famous Lady Leona Romani? The maker of Magic Tools?"
"Yes, that's her," Dame Matthew almost sighed. "I will apologize in advance if she asks for your blood, Dame Maria. It's just she's been very intent on getting a Light Magic wielder's blood so she can try to use it to make some kind of magic tool."
"Oh, if that's her intention, I'd be willing to offer some of mine," Rafael said. "Once I know what sort of Magic Tool she wants to make with it, of course. Actually, I'd very much like to meet her, I've heard so much about her!"
Dame Matthew's eyes went wide as Maria stared at Rafael in shock at his just offering to give his blood to some woman he'd hadn't even met yet. So bold and brazen! She cursed herself for not taking longer to sate more of his lusts that morning! Perhaps if she'd done so, he wouldn't so eager to just exchange bodily fluids with some random woman!
"Ah, I don't know what you've heard about mother, but it's all exaggerated, I assure you Master Rafael!" Dame Matthew said hastily.
Rafael tilted his head. "So, she doesn't have a rivalry and vendetta with Larna Smith and they both don't hate each other's guts and aren't constantly competing to show the other that they're the most talented and accomplished maker of Magic Tools in the kingdom, if not the world?"
Dame Matthew hesitated. "Er… well, yes, that part's true… "
"Then I very much want to meet her and offer her my congratulations and some of my blood for her projects," Rafael said cheerfully.
Dame Matthew and the two young women with her blinked. "What, really?" the one in orange said, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Seriously?"
"Of course!" Rafael said cheerfully. "I'm a big fan of Leona Romani's works."
The two young women stared at him before the one with her hair in twintails suddenly laughed. "Ah, a good jest elder sister, a good jest. I almost fell for it."
"No, this isn't a joke, Master Rafael means it," Dame Matthew said, still looking perturbed. She shook her head rapidly. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry! And we say Cousin Katarina has terrible manners. Dame Maria, Master Rafael, Lord Ascart, may I introduce my sisters, Olga and Marie Romani. They and Ladies Mary and Sophia have already met. Olga, Marie, this is Lady Maria Campbell, her fiancé Vice-Director Rafael Walt, and Sophia's elder brother, Lord Nicol Ascart."
"A pleasure to—wait, really Nicol Ascart?-!" the one in orange, whom Dame Matthew's gesture had indicated was 'Olga', suddenly exclaimed, interrupting her rote response. "The Lord Nicol Ascart, not just some fashion souls mimic or a fake?"
"Yup!" Sophia said proudly, a smug smile on her face. "The one, the only, the most beautiful man in Sorcier, my big brother himself."
Lord Ascart offered one of his bland smiles, and both girls swooned slightly, while Dame Matthew narrowed her eyes and focused her gaze to one side to avoid the brunt of his devastation.
Lady Olga was the first to recover, shaking her head rapidly and avoiding looking straight at Lord Ascart. Instead, she turned her attention to Sophia. "Wait, you were related to him all along and you didn't tell us?" She suddenly looked aghast. "I told you about the portrait!"
"You're not the first," Sophia assured her, though there was a slight smirk on her face. Her bother looked at her, his face not changing. "Don't worry big brother, apparently it has clothes on."
Lady Olga made a sound like someone who wanted to throw themselves off a cliff.
Lady Marie patted her sister on the shoulder. "So," she said brightly and loudly, smoothly drawing aggro to her and away from her sister. "You are the Lady Maria, who's squiring our dear cousin?"
Maria nodded, trying to recover herself after her sudden relief that Rafael's sudden interest in some strange woman was because of his ongoing strange affiliation with Larna Smith. He'd simply been overzealous in offering his blood, not lustful and tiring of her! "I am indeed. A pleasure you meet you Lady Olga, Lady Marie. Dame Matthew has spoken of you in passing. I believe you will be attending the Academy in the coming year, Lady Olga?"
The young lady in question blinked, suddenly distracted from her conversation with Sophia. "Er, yes, that's right Dame… Maria? We've heard a lot about you as well. Elder Sister's letters have mentioned you a lot." The young girl glanced towards her sister. "When she remembers to write, at least…"
"I was busy…" Dame Matthew said weakly.
"Aunt Mili also speaks very highly of you," Lady Marie said, "as does cousin Katarina."
"I am honored to be held in such regard," Maria said. "I regret having to take Lady Katarina back soon, but her training must continue."
"If you really regret it, you wouldn't do it," Lady Mary muttered.
Maria shrugged. "Admittedly, I don't regret it that much. Any regrets are surpassed by the satisfaction of overseeing her development. She is becoming an exemplary knight." She paused, then admitted, "A very strange example at times, to be sure…"
"Yeah, that's Lady Katarina," Sophia said cheerfully. "Ah, by the way, have you seen Keith, Dame Matthew?"
"Ah, sorry. I saw him this morning at breakfast, but since then…"
"Oh, cousin Keith was with cousin Watson last I saw him," Lady Marie supplied. "I think they were checking on the armsmen?"
Lady Mary sighed. "Typical. He's the one who sends me a message saying he had something important to tell me, then he leaves me waiting."
Lady Sophia blinked. "Wait, you too?" she said.
The two women exchanged concerned glances, and the shorter of the two turned to her brother. "Brother, did you get a message from Keith as well? That you didn't tell your dear little sister about?"
Lord Ascart shrugged.
"Ah, you're not sure because it might have gotten buried in your 'in' tray, which is a horrible mess right now that you want to use as kindling to set yourself on fire with so you can make the suffering end?" Rafael said.
Lord Ascart nodded.
Rafael nodded. "Been there. Have you tried accidentally tripping and sending it all out an open window?"
Lord Ascart sighed.
"No windows, just Wind Magic ventilation? You have my condolences."
"How could you possibly have understood all that?" Lady Sophia said, sounding almost jealous.
"We were the only ones on the student council for a year," Rafael said blandly. "We are both members in a covenant of suffering. Our bonds will never be broken, for they were forged in pain and blood." He held out his hand and clenched it into a fist in a gesture of resolve.
Lord Ascart returned the gesture, and they both sighed.
Maria glanced at Rafael, then at Lord Ascart, then at Sophia. Sophia stared at her brother, then at Rafael, then at Maria.
Maria pulled her fiancé to the side, putting Lady Mary between him and Lord Ascart as Sophia pulled at her brother, tugging him to the other side of the Romani sisters, who all looked confused. Lady Mary just looked amused.
While Maria didn't care what sort of lover Rafael took when he eventually started to tire of her, save to hope it was someone who would care for him and sate him… not Lord Ascart. Rafael would forget all about her then, and she wouldn't even be able to tempt him with anything ever again!
"Oh, look, it's Keith," Lady Mary said brightly as she inclined her head briefly in a certain direction.
Indeed, the heir of the Dukedom of Morpork and Scion of House Claes was walking towards them, a strange smile on his face. It took a moment for Maria to place it, since it wasn't the sort that had graced his face in her presence before but… it looked like his sister's smile. That is to say, it was so wide it almost looked painful.
"Ah, everyone, how are you all," Keith greeted them, and his tone of excited, exuberant happiness was a pale shadow of his sister's but he seemed to be making an effort to be like her. "Lady Mary, so wonderful to see you again! Are you going to stop by tomorrow once more? Lady Sophia, how are you? Do you have any new books for sister? Lord Nicol, Director Rafael, how are you? I haven't seen either of you in Ages! Dame Maria, when are you coming to spar again? I've been working on my footwork, and I'm sure I'll be able to hold my own for longer now— what are you doing?"
Maria put her hand on his brow. No fever. She checked his pulse. Normal. She looked into his eyes. There was no crimson glow of the abyss in its malevolent aspect. There was no way to say if he'd grown eyes on the inside unless she looked and she had sworn never to do that again. She looked into his ear in any case, and saw no indications of loathsome parasites within, nor any glow to indicate strange maggots might be hiding in his hair, and patted his back to check for giant spiders using his body as a puppet. Nothing.
"Lady Maria, what are you doing?" he said, sounding exasperated.
There was no helping it. Maria straightened, sighed, and looked her friend solidly in the eyes. "Lord Keith, did you hit your head recently? Have you been out in the sun without a hat?"
Behind her, Sophia started snickering.
"I haven't hit my head lately, no," he said. "And you know I know better to be out in the sun without a hat, especially since I've been taking care of sister's garden."
"So he's not brain damaged," Sophia said, and started chuckling louder. For some reason, Lady Mary started to join her.
Maria's face became grim. "This is no laughing matter, you two. Ah. I was afraid of this," she said. Maria turned to a confused Dame Matthew and said, "Dame Matthew, I'm sorry to report that it seems Lord Keith has clearly gone insane. We shall have to inform his grace and her grace that he is no longer a suitable heir." She frowned. "Lady Sophia, Lady Mary, can you please stop laughing? This is a very serious matter. I'm not sure even Light Magic can heal what ails him."
If anything, the two women only laughed harder. Lord Ascart had raised a hand to his mouth, and his shoulders seemed to be heaving slightly.
"Why do you think I've gone insane?" Kieth said, frowning now.
"You're acting like Katarina," Maria pointed out. "You're smiling like her, speaking like her, and… being like her."
"So?"
"You don't typically act like Katarina."
Keith seemed to actually consider that. "Yes, but that's not a bad thing, is it? I've just been happy spending time with my cousins lately."
Maria blinked. "Were you not happy before?"
"Of course I was, but not this much." He tilted his head in thought. "Well, there you go. Katarina's always happier than I am, and she acts like this. I must have become happy enough to reach her normal level of happiness, and started acting like her as a result."
Maria blinked and considered that, tilting her head in thought. "Hmm… I see. That sounds eminently reasonable. Yes, that would explain much…" Maria nodded. "Then I must apologize, Lord Keith, for accusing you of insanity."
Keith chuckled, but his smile was definitely Katarina-like as he waved her away. "Don't worry about it. It's just how you show you care, by making sure we don't become insane and doom the country. I appreciate your concern and accept your apology.."
Maria nodded, internally sighing in relief and trying to hide her embarrassment. Happiness. She had mistaken happiness for insanity… all right, some indications from patients at the Research Hall seemed to imply that happiness could be achieved by an advanced state of insanity, but that…
…
Maria took that line of reasoning, ripped its heart out, shot it in the head and kicked it off the nearest high ledge and into water.
Off to the side, Dame Matthew and Ladies Olga and Marie stared at the exchange.
"What just happened?" Lady Olga said, sounding confused.