CH. 6 Born out of Boredom

I'm bored.

I reset my wardrobe a few days ago and some of the dresses have arrived. Though most of them would still take time to make, they would eventually end up in my closet so I don't have to think about it anymore but other than that I have nothing else to do.

There are invitations piling up in my postbox/tray but I'm in no mood to socialise. I could almost imagine the ladies being all sneaky with their backhanded insults and gossiping around. I don't mind gossiping along but I will be the gossip itself. I don't mind that either, but if I sit in those tea parties in this mood, I'm sure I will pull out their hair and turn at least one lady bald. It was a good way to relieve my stress and anger towards Sol but It also feels taxing at the moment.

"Ivy, Call for the butler." I said with my head still on the tea table in the garden. Soon the butler was standing in front of me. That was quick. The servants in this house are very diligent and committed. Ivy got some good seniors, no wonder she turned out like that at such a young age.

"Sen, I'm bored to death. I should have some duties as the lady of the house, so please dump some work on me." I said, turning my head to look at the butler. With the way I was lying on the tea table, I couldn't watch his expression so I pushed my head off the table with great difficulty. I'm becoming very lazy.

And so Sen guided me to a clean-looking office in my own palace and showed me the budgets for different palaces and the servants' salaries along with a list of personnel working in the palace and my pending correspondence. The work was not that difficult to understand and I got a hang of it as I began working.

So I sat throughout the afternoon tallying up the numbers to make sure they matched the reports with the royal treasury and then going through the reports on different locations in the palace where new staff was needed. Writing proposals for their recruitment. Looking at the budget to make sure there was enough to hire them. And then the products that were being delivered and the reports on their quality and quantity and if they match the delivery order or not.

The calculations were easy since this world also has an abacus and doing the work felt good. It was both productive and the time flowed without me knowing. Keeps my mind from going on a tangent and overthinking.

"Your Highness, You haven't had lunch. This is more than enough for today." Sen's voice pulled me out of my work.

"You were here all the time?" I frowned. Was this man standing there like that all the time?

"I have been away for a while, Your Highness. I just returned to inform you since I heard you didn't have any lunch." He said.

"It's been that long? Time does go fast." I said placing my quill back in its stand and closing the lid on the ink pot. My fingers had small bumps on them from using a quill for a long time. It was weird at first but once I got my head into the work, It didn't matter.

"Were you doing this work before today?" I asked as he led me out of the office. "Yes, Your Highness." He replied.

"I have something else to ask. Has the study material for the twins always been that much? They were only six, weren't they?" I asked as I remembered the amount of tutoring hours that increased over the last year since they started.

"It depends on the young lords' talent and potential. If their understanding was higher, then the tutor has no choice but to increase the difficulty level." Sen explained and I wondered if that was alright. Aside from etiquette and swordsmanship, everything else in their lessons involved retaining lots and lots of text and theoretical knowledge. They were practically rotting by sitting in front of their study tables all day. I could never stay that cooped up in front of a book that wasn't a novel. 

"Your Highness, The young lords' are very talented and they can reach greater heights. There is no problem with their studies so I hope you don't worry too much." Sen added cautiously. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as I listened to him. Did he think that I would involve myself and ruin their education? Grace Finley never wanted to be a mother and I'm not their mother. But they are still children, So I couldn't help but think of their well-being. I could do that from a distance, couldn't I.

"I suppose you are right. It's been a few days since I last saw them but they seem to take after their father. I don't have to worry much." I said.

The next day, Ivy was back and she seemed to be a lot more sombre than before when she realised she wouldn't be getting any gold coins. Was her brother in a bad state? The budget for Grace had always been limitless, it was one of the conditions for giving birth to the twins. And it didn't change even after Seth realised I was not her. So I could spend as much money as I want.

"Ivy, Was your brother not in good condition?" I asked and the little maid broke into tears like someone just triggered them. Was that me? Did I touch on a sensitive topic? Did her brother die or something?

"His condition is getting worse, Your Highness. The medicines I have now are not enough." Ivy spoke in between her sobs. I squatted in front of the crying girl and handed her my handkerchief.

"Thank you, Your Highness." She didn't forget to express her gratitude and I laughed softly. "Come let's go visit the resident priests of this palace and see if any of them are free." I said leading Ivy by her wrist and towards the palace infirmary.

"It is big." I said looking at the infirmary building in front of me. Almost as big as one of the palaces.

"Seth Peregrine is a fine man." I nodded in approval.

"What brings you here, Your Highness?" One of the helping hands greeted me as soon as I walked into the building.

"Where are the priests?" I asked and was led to a room where the priests were stationed. As soon as I entered the large room, I saw a few men and women who looked like knights, getting treated. The priests had their palms facing the patient's body and a warm light surrounded the patient. I watched in curiosity, It was the first time I saw the divine... Healing magic? Or whatever it was called.

"Fascinating." I muttered.

"Your Highness, What brings you here?" The accusing voice belonged to Priestess Myrtle.

"Does showering light like this heal the person?" I asked and she scoffed.

"Of course not. We have to find the problem and diagnose it before deciding if we need any medicines or potions for the treatment. Do you not know that much, Your Highness?" She asked.

"Of course, I don't. Why would I ask if I know?" I replied and she opened her mouth to say something but fell silent.

"Ah! I forgot why I came here though. Are any of the priests free?" I asked, looking around the room.

"If you want a health check up, You could have just called for one of us, Your Highness." One of the Priests spoke, It was the man who treated me in the beginning.

"What about them?" I pointed at the knights who were currently under treatment or check-up.

"The regular check for the knights was almost done, Your Highness. It wasn't an urgent matter." The priest said. And I'm someone who could take a hint, though whether I wanted to ignore it or not was another matter.

"It is fine. I can wait until it is over. Take your time. I just need a priest to go with me into the capital." I said taking a seat in the waiting chairs.

"If you are going to behave like you did in the temple a few days ago, None of us are willing to go with you, Your Highness. You spoke disrespectfully towards the great sage and you expect us to serve you?" Priestess Myrtle glared.

"Ah, That won't happen again. At least not for a while. I'm not that angry anymore. Also, it wasn't for me, It was to treat Ivy's little brother. I can't have my maid looking so upset all day." I said.

"Your brother could wait another hour or so can't he?" I asked Ivy, who was too busy crying to answer me. "I take that as he can wait." I nodded to myself.

"You wish to help your maid, Your Highness?" The Priest who treated me before asked, unsure. Unlike Myrtle, this man has soft features. Myrtle was fierce-looking, she looked more like a knight than a priestess.

"What is your name?" I asked the priest. "Cain, Your highness."

"Priest Cain, nice to meet you. Thank you for treating me after my accident, It must have been taxing." I said. According to Ivy, My injuries were severe and treating someone puts a lot of strain on the healer. Apparently it was more taxing than a magician casting spells or using magic.

"I'm just doing my duty, Your Highness." He bowed.

"Yes, I wish to help her." I answered his question.

"Why?" One of the knights blurted out.

"I find her cute." I replied. It was also a bonus payment for suffering for the past seven or so years under Grace Finley but I didn't say that out loud.

"That's all, Your highness?" One of the other priests asked.

"You guys sound like I need a reason to help someone. Enough with the questions, get on with your work while I wait. I got nothing else to do anyway." I muttered the last part with a sigh. I took out another handkerchief and handed it to the still-crying Ivy.

"T..thank…hic..hic..yu-"

"You can thank me when you are done crying." I smiled looking at her. I leaned on the table beside with my chin on my hand leisurely and for the next hour or so, I watched Ivy sob her heart out.