Discover

"I don't know, Lillian," Lucy said, looking away. "Will any kingdom even wish to trade with ours?"

"I only need somewhere to work with first. I was thinking of doing something like a fair." She insisted. "People from around the Kingdom can come to sell or showcase what they have so that even we know who to invest in."

"That is a smart move but why did you go to these specific three houses today?" 

"I just want to hear your opinions. You three are the ones I trust the most so I just wish to hear your opinions and … maybe get your blessings and support?" Lillian smiled sheepishly at her. 

"You have the prosperity of Kingdom at heart, of course, I will support you, Lillian." Lucy smiled brightly at Lillian. "What do you need me to do?" 

"Just spread the word around. It will probably be in around a week's time." Lillian said, taking a piece of paper out and writing on it. 

"Why so soon?"

"Everyone asks that." Lillian continued writing on the paper. "I just wish to see how many people have the resources to make it here in that amount of time and take those statics into consideration."

Lillian frowned as she said this, the lies she tells keep growing and growing. But she doesn't know how long she will be here and Roman is her main priority at the moment. 

Also.

She looked down at her hands, they are getting slightly more transparent and she worries about what that means. 

"Statics?" Lucy asked her. 

"Oh, it's just taking the rough estimate of something and adding it with something to get something." She said, panicking. 

"You are odd, Lillian." Lucy laughed, "But I trust you. More than I do the King." 

"I just hope you do not think I am meddling too much in something I have no right over," Lillian said, looking up from the papers. 

"Who would think that? You are trying to do something good for the Kingdom. How can we complain about something done with our good in mind?" Lucy asked holding her hand out to Lillian.

Shoving her bag, gloves, bonnet and papers from her lap to the chair beside her and walked to Lucy who took out a necklace with a strange emblem of two birds with tails encircling each other on it. She leaned forward and placed it around Lillian's neck.

"Wha-"

"You have my blessing and my support as well as my family's. If anyone dares to insult you then they are insulting us as well." She said smiling, hand on Lillian's cheeks. 

She doesn't understand anything but Lucy doesn't appear as though she is going to reveal to her anything more than she already has. 

"You say that I am odd but you have secrets of yourself don't you?" Lillian asked, fiddling with the emblem in her hand. "But thank you. I will repay your kindness one day. I promise." 

"If you wish to know more then I think your brother may know something more," Lucy whispered to her. "Just ask him of the title 'Twosurge'."

"Twosurge?" Lillian walked back to her seat, only more confused than before. "I'll be sure to ask him." 

"Yes. If there is anything else you need then please don't hesitate to ask us." She said again with a wink. 

"Sure." 

"Is the meeting done?" Ray asked, walking into the parlour with Hal, wiping their hands on towels. 

"More or less." Lillian answered, "But I think it's best we leave now so that Lucy can rest." 

"Right." Ray agreed as Lillian shoved the things back into her bag again. She wore the bonnet and fastened it in place. 

"Oh, can I talk to May before we leave?" She suddenly remembered. 

"Of course. Come, let's go to her together." Lucy and Lillian walked up the stairs, hand in hand. Lucy's belly has gotten bigger, much to the surprise of everyone. 

"Just five minutes, Ray," Lillian called from the top of the stairs as they entered the doorway.

 Hal looked at Ray sighing, "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure." He answered sitting down on the chair finally feeling the fatigue from his legs.

"Green or black?" Hal asked, walking to the kitchen again. 

"Any is fine," Ray said, lost in thought for a second then he quickly stood up and ran to the kitchen. "Let me help you!"

                                  __________

"May? Are you there?" Lillian asked, knocking on her door. She stood outside there with the boys while Lucy went to her room to rest up. 

"May!" Caden started pounding on the door.

"She's been locking herself in her room whenever she wants too. It's still Caden's and I room." Brook stated, "Hey, Lillian. Why don't we have our own room?"

"You want your own room?" Lillian asked, looking at him. This drew Caden's attention as well. 

"Yes! We want our own room so what we can decorate it however we like." Brook said, thinking of all the things he would do in his room. 

"You're a dummy, Brook." Caden suddenly said, "Dad says that we do not have enough money to make another room for each of us. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember. I just want to imagine what I will do once I got my room." Brook answered back. "You are the dumb one." 

"No, you are." 

"Ok, boys." Lillian bent down to their height, placing her hands on their shoulders and whispered to them. "I want to talk to your sister alone, is that ok?" 

"But it's been a while since we saw you, Lillian." Caden pouted. 

"Yeah. Don't you like being with us anymore?" Brook folded his hands over his chest in a taunting manner. 

"Oh no. How could I not enjoy being with my two favourite boys?" Lillian asked, pulling the two into her arms and hugging them tightly. 

"Are we really your favourite?" Caden asked, hugging back. 

"Yes."

"More than your brother?" This time Brook asked. 

"Are you guys jealous of my brother by any chance?" She asked, pulling out of the hug. 

"No. Why would we be?" Caden huffed. 

"He seems cool though," Brook said, mind elsewhere. 

"Just because he's a soldier, Brook? We are cool too." He said shouted, patting his chest. 

"Do you think so, Lillian?" Brook turned to her with his big hazel eyes.

"Of course." Lillian looked at both of them intently, "Listen, he is cool but remember that you two are much younger than him and you are as cool as he is. Doesn't that make you double cool?" 

"You're right!" Caden declared proudly, boosting his brother's confidence. 

"Yeah." Brook finally smiled at her. 

"Ok. So will you two cool boys permit me to talk with your sister, privately? Only with your permission though." She asked, putting on an air of admiration for the two. 

"Yes. We will allow you to do so. Right, Brook?" Caden said with confidence but Brook still looks a little conflicted. 

"After all, keeping you here, away from the other two men talking below." She added slyly. "But you two aren't interested in what they may be speaking of, right?" 

"No!" Brook suddenly said, then cleared his throat. "I mean, we aren't interested in girls' talk anyway. Let's go, Caden."

The boys left with Brook pulling Caden while the other waved at her until they got to the door and walked down the stairs. 

Lillian couldn't help herself as laughter overtook her, "Those boys are too cute."

"Now back to work." She stood up and knocked on the door again. "May, it's me, Lillian. Are you there?" 

Silence greeted her but she was used to being ignored so it didn't bother her as much as it should have. 

Maybe she is on the roof? She thought. Because May isn't one to ignore someone that calls to her. 

Lillian looked around her in the hallway. There were two doors. One on each side. The door Lillian is facing is the room of the children and behind her is the parent's room. 

Making sure no one is there she waved her hands and blue smoke escaped her hands, going through the gaps in the door, unlocking from the inside.

"Lillian?" May called from her bed, as soon as she entered the room. 

Well, f*** my life.

"May!" Lillian tried to play it off. "There you are. Why are you over there? Didn't you just open the door?"

"Some blue smoke entered the room and unlocked the door," May said, looking at Lillian. "Do you have Magic?"

Hmmmmm … How do I get out of this?

She looked at May curled up in her blanket, all her attention on Lillian and at her outfit. 

"Oh, dear, you caught me." Lillian faked surprise. "What shall I do now?" 

"So you can use magic?" The girl's eyes sparkled as she asked that. 

"Yes, but very weak magic," Lillian said, walking to her. "Can I trust you to keep this very important secret for me, May?" 

"Why do you want to hide it?" She asked as Lillian sat beside her. 

"There are bad people out there that will want my magic and I don't want to cause any problem in this place. You hold the safety of the people of this kingdom in your hands, May." Lillian took her little hands in her own, "Can you keep it for me?" 

"Yes!" May declared, beaming with pride, "I am very good at keeping secrets. Good secrets. I will keep this for you." 

"Thank you, May. You are the only one I trust." She lied, gripping her skirt as she said that. 

"I love your dress." May suddenly said, her mouth a thin line as she tried to control her emotions. "Will I be able to make a dress as pretty as this?" 

So that's what's been bugging her. 

"Well, May." She picked the girl up and placed her on her lap. "I think you will be able to make something even better than this." 

"Really?" 

"Yes. Why not?" Lillian tucked her hair behind her ear. Dark blue, just like her father's. "If you work hard and keep practising then you can make much more beautiful than this. Like the ones the princess wears." 

"Are there dresses more beautiful than the one you are wearing?"

"My dear. There are lots. If only you could see them. This dress will pale in comparison." Lillian fell quiet for a while, thinking, "Tell you what. I am arranging a fair soon. Why don't you convince your parents to come? You will get to see many beautiful dressed that day."

"Really? I'll be able to see them?" 

"Of course, dear." Lillian said, "Would I lie to you? About this?"

"No, Lillian doesn't lie." She laughed, hugging her. "I will tell papa then. Let's go now." 

She jumped down from the bed and began running out the room, not waiting for Lillian as she sat in the dark. 

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, gripping the necklace Lucy gave her. "It'll be over soon. Hopefully."