Foundation

"Ugh, that Chadbourne brat is another fool! He needs some good company to be a capable ruler. But that witch of a queen does not let him out of her sight. Every time I see the mother pair son, my heart hurts, literally," Isaac rubbed his temples. His head hurt just thinking about the two. And he was feeling giddy just now because of that kid and the change in her.

Isaac Laurent took deep breaths and diverted his mind to Emmeline Whittemore's grin as she had celebrated her small victory secretly with the permission to take the exam. He did not know that it was not a grin but a grimace since she was not expecting this result at all.

"So, I will not mind if she ends up becoming the empress but I would not push for it either. She needs to help the duchy first. If she becomes the empress, there is a high chance she would just be buried under the tyrant that kid Aaron is becoming. That would be a talent gone waste," Isaac Laurent was now on his third glass of wine. He sighed uncontrollably whenever his thoughts traveled to the imperial family.

"Alright," Alex could sense the slight rage and pity in his father's voice and understood that his father was getting annoyed. He perfectly knew his dad's hatred towards the imperial family.

"She wanted to know what you were as a person outside of Whittemore castle," Alex revealed to his father to uplift his mood. He had immense respect for his father and the work he did for the duchy. He wanted to follow in his footsteps and could not really see his father agitated.

"She-She did?" Isaac's ears and eyes, both perked up.

"Yes. Further, she asked me about your ways of teaching me, how much involvement you had in my lessons and what you liked to do as hobby, if you had time," Alex expanded more on his encounter with the girl.

"Puhahaha!! I was really not expecting this! What was she going to gain with this knowledge?" Isaac had a hearty laugh after a very long time. This kid, she was getting more fascinating the more he got to know about her.

"I asked her the same question. She said it would be much easier to know what kind of questions you were going to ask if she knew what you were passionate about," Alex shrugged. He got only this much answer from her. He was confused as well, what could she really know about the earl just knowing a few facts from his son?

"Passionate? Truly… truly! Alexander Laurent, we have spotted the gem! Keep it under wraps for now! The reveal will happen six days later, alright? Did you make sure no one knew you were in castle late at night? I had speculated in front of them that you had left before me," Isaac was clapping his thigh in elation. This girl was exceeding his expectations. How could he not look forward to the exam in six days?

"I made extremely sure. There was only one tail, I believe from the duchess. I got rid of him pretty easily," Alex replied calmly. He had now seen it all. His dad had now become serious about Emmeline Whittemore. He had to see for himself too what she was capable of!

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"Anna, get me all the books from the library on history of policies and any documentation on what our kingdom's citizens do for a living. Oh, and a few books on international relations," Kim Su Won fired her orders as soon as she arrived back in her room. She was so elated with the information she had gathered from Alex, that she completely forgot about the fight she had with her maid about an hour ago.

When she entered the room, there was only darkness and emptiness that greeted the twelve years old.

'Ugh, Anna is behaving like a kid,' Kim Su Won crossed her arms and let it be. If this was some teen angsty tantrum, then it was better to leave the maid alone. She decided to retire for the night. From the next day onwards, she had to burn the midnight oil anyway.

Tossing and turning in the bed, her mind was not at peace. How could it be? Anna was her only friend here in this familiar yet unknown world.

"F*ck!" Kim Su Won cursed herself. She was becoming attached to this world and people here. But she literally had only four years here. Aaarghhh!

Unable to sleep, she got out of her bed. Tucking the innocent Chris who was sleeping beside her in a cool blanket, she left to find the maid. How was she to study for the next five days or so continuously, if one, her mind would all be distracted over Anna and two, she could not get her books and meals in time.

Being a rich kid was not easy in this era if she wanted to make something out of herself. Sneaking out of her bedroom, Kim Su Won realized that the dark East wing looked spooky.

"A-Anna?" She whispered and called out but there was no response. Kim Su Won stepped out and looked in nearby rooms. She had asked Anna to shift into one of these empty rooms because she was the only maid in East wing and the servants quarter was quite far away. But none of the rooms had any trace of a human presence. This was surprising and worrying at the same time.

Kim Su Won had a small panic attack once again. Where had the maid disappeared? No one had come into or gone out of this part of the house since she was near the beginning of the boundary of the east wing with Alex the whole time!

A bit more panic settling in, Kim Su Won really started to open each and every empty room she had which were uselessly huge in number and area for an unfavored kid to be living in.

"Anna! Don't scare me like this, alright? Come out! I apologize for not listening to you but please don't be mad like this," the girl was almost on the verge of tears once again. What if someone kidnapped the poor maid just because she had started meddling in the dukedom affairs? Anna's end, that she was trying to change very hard, was not this soon. The novel had not even started yet!!

"Anna? Anna!?" the weary voice was getting louder and louder. And Kim Su Won did not care if the guards heard her at this point. Finding her precious friend was much more important.

"P-please don't joke with me and come out Anna! I am sorry, okay? I am so very sorry," her steps had halted and she had a mental breakdown in the middle of dark lonely corridor. Such was her life, even if someone killed her or Chris or Anna, no one would know! This fact alone was so intimidating, plus Anna, her sole support here was gone somewhere, leaving her alone.

Sobbing, Kim Su Won melted down on the floor, putting her head between her knees, her tears not stopping once again. "Anna, my dear Anna, where are you?"

"Miss, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" the familiar voice that Kim Su Won had been wanting to hear rung in her ears.

"Anna!" she exclaimed, raising her head instantly towards the direction of the voice.

"Gosh! I was gone for just a few minutes. Look at you!" Anna knelt down to wipe away the tears of her miss. Kim Su Won immediately took the maid in her embrace.

"I am so sorry Anna! I will listen to you in the future, alright? Don't abandon me like this ever," Kim Su Won hugged the petite maid with her tiny body. Only she knew what kind of relief she had felt.

"What kind of master apologizes to their servant? Miss, if you are to step into limelight, drill this rule into your head. No matter how morally or politically wrong you are, you are still always correct in front of your servants, alright? You cannot apologize to me. This is also a lesson for your upcoming exam," Anna separated herself from her adorable miss and wiped her tears with her apron.

"What are you talking about Anna? A ruler cannot be drunk on their knowledge. The citizens are the ones who teach their ruler about their issues and needs. How can I be always correct?"

This really became the foundation of Emmeline Whittemore's legacy in the future years.