Chapter 33: The New Tutors (I).

Chapter 33: The New Tutors (I).

Elizabeth's POV

"Late night rendezvous again later!" I pulled Victoria's hand and started dragging her quickly into the library. "I want to finish all of my lessons so I can spend my time in our secret spot! Come on, Victoria! Don't be a slow mole!"

A few days ago, Victoria gave me a spare key I could use on her favorite secret spot, which now turned 'our secret spot' and I had the key hung around my neck turning it into a necklace.

I almost never took it off, even in the bath I would always be warned to take it off before washing but I just couldn't help it. When you're given four floors of possibly decades of research and invention- weapons!

How could I not be careful!

"Huff… huff…" I'm just so excited to know what other things could be inside the other rooms! If the fourth floor is the weapon's room then what would be the second and third?

The first floor must be the planning and blueprints- and just the usual hang out spot of the empress! I need to see if she left any records of books that might be of use.

"Slow down, your highness." (Victoria) lifts me up gently laughing, seeing me so excited and forgetting her orders from my father brought us back to the way we were before. "Tell me what would you like for dessert?"

Early in the morning and she was already planning my dessert, this is why I trust her with my life.

"Cookies and brownies." I requested, knowing Victoria doesn't let anyone else cook my meals.

She always insisted and for some reason she would get angry if someone else did her job. Well- most of it was the cooking, I can understand and sympathize with her feelings.

The head chef from before was inexperienced and even dared to serve me a loaf of bread that was even harder than the walls of the kingdom's brick.

"And your highness… you know that today would be the day- I won't be able to spend the usual times I have with you." My happy mood turned bitter, Victoria not spending more time with me?

But I thought she won't avoid me anymore because the emperor stinks!

"Wait- why?"

"The ten courses that you'll be undergoing, you will only have independent study as an added free time with me. Everything else will be under your father's jurisdiction."

My shoulders slumped hearing those horrid news, I've forgotten I'll be getting a new education system fit for torture.

I'm a fan of learning but not when ten things have to squeeze into my already tight schedule.

"I have forgotten about those tutors… I don't feel safe with them." I honestly had a gut feeling I won't be having any easy time with my new tutors, hearing the information from Melrose. "I heard from Melrose that these tutors would be picked by none other than her father- Duke Damien."

And we know what kind of man he is, there's a chance he might sabotage everything. I could form a few plans that these tutors will have some sort of bias with me or if they dare- they could potentially hurt me.

"Are you worried they would hurt you?" (Victoria) asks worryingly and I nod.

"That… and maybe pull a few strings on saying where I'm not doing a good job to the emperor." Such a thing could happen, and Victoria nods agreeing with me. If he can even have no shame in giving me such a faulty carriage and blaming it on something else, these tutors will be the same.

"I suppose I was thinking more about your safety, I have forgotten that they could potentially attack you in other ways." (Victoria) sighs, looking tired of all the things happening around lately and who could blame her. "I'll take note of that, princess. Thank you for telling me, not to worry I'll be by your side the whole time you'll be doing your lessons."

"If anyone attacks or anything that could make you uncomfortable, I'll make sure they won't only get a slap on the wrist as punishment but something even worse." she continued, and I felt rest assured that I'll be safe knowing that Victoria will be with me the whole way.

"When will we meet these new tutors? It's always hard to tell the time in these parts, and the sundial is only available outside and only if there's the sun." I complain, I should be getting used to telling the time in a medieval world but that proved to be rather inconvenient in a place that's full of winter and the sun rarely comes out.

The only available clock we have was the sundial.

A revolutionary invention that's been given as a gift- Well compared to what I've seen in the laboratory… perhaps it's not that much of a revolutionary in the present time.

Victoria smiles hearing my complaints, she places me back down into the ground gently before seeing if there was anyone else around us.

"The empress taught me a command spell for that too… She found time to be something of importance." (Victoria) takes off her gloves before focusing and channeling her mana concentration to her hand. Soon her palm glowed and different lines of code began appearing.

It all floated around her, before completing itself into one structural line before- "{Command.order: TimeSpan}." she chants.

"It appears to be {07:09 AM}." (Victoria) tells me and I was amazed by the display of time using magic- it was some sort of projected time that's floating in Victoria's palm.

"We're a bit early, it seems." she casually tells me and I pout seeing how relaxed she was showing me all of these cool things the past days.

"Victoria, how come you're only teaching me the cool things now?!" I grabbed hold onto hand eyes shimmering in curiosity, I poked the projected number a few times before it flickered before maintaining itself.

Good lord the amount of time I would've not wasted second guessing if it was close to my bedtime.

"I didn't know… if you were ready, these kinds of command spells would be demolished by the council if they saw me using it." (Victoria) tells me and I let out a shocked noise.

"Eh?! Why? Isn't it cool that there's another type of magic that we can explore and improve many lives?" I ask her and she shakes her head. "This kind of magic is revolutionary! It could change everything that we know about magic completely-!"

Victoria pats my head, leading me to stop my rambling.

"You've already said the answer, your highness." she tells me and I tilt my head in confusion.

"...I did?"

"Change." (Victoria) closes her hand, the projected display disappearing. "People come in several groups. We've studied the pyramid of ranking, you know what they are."

The slaves, commoners, nobility, and royalty.

This is the world's group that flock together.

"What would happen, your highness if I tell you there's other desserts available." (Victoria) began asking me questions and I answered them all one by one.

"I would try them."

Having other desserts wouldn't be so bad.

"What if these desserts are limited to a few, some people don't even like dessert but they take it anyways." (Victoria) continues and the question made me a little mad. People could get greedy, they take what they think is not enough.

"I would get angry." I crossed my arms and she laughed.

"And what if I replace your usual dessert with healthy vegetable cookies instead?" (Victoria) made me think about all of the different things after that question.

Such as; Who in the world would make cookies out of vegetables?!

Veins popped out of the side of my forehead.

"I would get even more angry and demand you bring them back-! Oh… um." I stopped my tracks. Victoria was asking me weird questions because it related to my original main question.

…

She had to use vegetables and dessert as an example just because I had the physical body of a five year old. I suppose that's sweet of her to do… I think.

"It seems that you've realized, your highness." (Victoria) smiles, looking proud of me for getting the answer from the debate of what I would do if someone took away my usual dessert.

"To change something they've known for hundreds or even thousands of years, something important and dear to them- only knowing the same magic thinking nothing else could ever exist."

Right, the language was just recently made- even if the empress had it presented they would most likely just diminish it.

"The empress warned me it would only spark chaos amongst the people, especially the nobility who supports the council of magic and their traditional ways."

"Did my father approve of her making things like these?"

"He didn't approve, however he let his wife do anything he wanted because he's aware that creating things like these is making her happy."

That's one nice sweet thing about him I guess. I wonder if he knows of the existence of the labs underneath the empress' old room.

"The command spell should be easy enough for you to learn in a few hours. I hope you understand why I'll be asking you, your highness that as much as possible only use these command spells in secret."

I understood fully why and I'm not using any of these command spells in public. "Don't worry, it'll just be added onto our pile of secrets."

"Is the pile of secrets getting taller, your highness?" (Victoria) offered her hand for me to hold and I held it feeling safe.

"Oh it's almost as tall as me."

"Then we don't have many secrets then."

"...I know I'm short Victoria but just wait until I'm all grown up."

To the library we went while she taught me how to properly chant the command spell for telling the time.