"The Dean?" The Steward asked, surprised. "I- well, I haven't thought about that. I am not sure running a college is what I desire."

Althea nodded, a bit disappointed, but not giving up hope quite yet.

"Just consider it." Althea said. "I am sure we can hire someone more experienced in running a school to advise you. But you have significant expertise in training people to use their magic. And of course, magic itself. I cannot think of anyone more suitable than you."

The Steward shook his head. "That may be because the Countess does not know many people."

But he did not protest that he had the expertise. The Steward had personally led and trained the Emperor's guard. A college was practically nothing in front of that.

"Just think about it." Althea said, looking back at the table. "Now, do you think I should read the Minister of Defense's complaints first, or the Minister of Justice's?

The Steward stared at the thick stacks of papers.

"Perhaps an early lunch is not out of question." he replied, and then promptly walked out of the room, a giggling Anthony replacing him.

So, he hated paperwork. Perhaps the Dean position really was too much for him.

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"I am sorry to do this, but I fear it is crucial." Althea said into the communication orb, looking at half-Elf council.

"Is it really that crucial that the fleet leave now? Can the county not take a loss?" The Eastern Isle Defense minister said. The irritating elf. Althea was very, very sad to say she had forgotten his name. At this point there were so many people that the names were a bit hard to keep track of.

"The fleet has to leave someday." Elder Bel said. "There is no reason to make a loss when we already have ships ready to leave."

"But they aren't!" the irritating elf interrupted again. "The ships aren't armed properly yet. There are still quite a few rounds of fortification that they have to go through till they are a proper navy."

"I fear that will take several years." Althea interrupted. "This is simply a merchant expedition through neutral waters to a friendly Empire. Not a war. Empress Enara has assured me that the pirates are otherwise occupied, there is no reason for them to return. I do think we should prepare to deal with them in case they return, but I do not expect them to."

"There is more than just pirates in the seas! There are other navies, monsters so powerful that they can, and have, sunk entire fleets." The irritating elf said.

"And they will be there even if we leave next year." Elder Bel interrupted. "I have made my decision, Jerus."

Oh, right, his name was Jerus. That was one problem solved.

"Elder..." Jerus looked like he wanted to protest more, but the Elder just stood up and started walking out.

"Please be assured, Countess. The Eastern Isles will be ready to escort your fleet to its destination within three months." the Elder said.

Three months. That was when the Garron family would finish equipping the fleet with the basic equipment, and a third of the fleet with 'special' upgrades from a particular crazy scientist.

"There is no hurry, Elder." Althea replied. "The food won't spoil so quickly, security takes priority here."

The Elder merely smiled in reply as he stepped out. The council members looked at each other with various expressions of worry and distress. Even the twins that were supposedly unconcerned with most things.

"Perhaps a few Master stage-" Althea began, but was interrupted by the 'irritating elf'

"The Elder has spoken, Countess." Jerus said. "The fleet will be protected by him. The county should be honored."

The elf stormed out of the room, followed by most of the council. What was up with him?

The Princess gave her a pitying look as she left, closing the door behind her. Just Verest was left in the room now.

The Prime Minister sighed, finally lifting his head. "Do not be offended, Countess, my colleagues meant no offense."

"The Elder is important to your people, isn't he?" Althea asked, sipping her tea.

"More than you may think, Countess." Verest replied. "The Elder was the first of our kind to reach Adept stage. And the only one to hold any position of importance in the Elven hierarchy."

"The Countess may have trouble understanding what it means, but the Elder is like a father to us. There is not a member on the council who did not have their life saved several times by him. The Princess was practically raised by him. There are many that grew up in the hidden villages he operated." Verest said.

"Oh?" Althea replied, sipping her tea. "How old is the Elder?"

Verest looked at her, looking quite sad. Althea tried to hide her surprise. Verest sad? That was the definition of unexpected.

"Five hundred years." Verest said.

A whole hundred years more than the average lifespan of an Adept. The Elder was sure to have taken herbs and other supplements to enhance his lifespan…but still. There was a limit to how far that could go.

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"The Elder thinks of himself as disposable." Althea said, hesitant to even say it. The others had already shown how much they thought about the Elder. If they got offended by the statement…

"Yes." Verest answered. "There is not a person in the Eastern Isles who does not know that the Elder is approaching the end of his life. But we still hope that he will stay with us for as long as he can."

"Should I tell him to stay back?" Althea said. "Tell him that his services are not needed?"

"No, Countess." Verest replied. "That would be a disgrace to his legacy. The Elder is not one to hide when things get hard, no matter how much we wish that he does so. I thank you for your kindness, but the Elder will guard the fleet. As Jerus said, the county should be honored."

And then the Prime Minister of the Eastern Isles walked out of the room, leaving Althea to digest the revelations…

The journey was supposed to be normal or without any hindrances. There was little danger.

Why was it that the council was acting like the Elder was going to die on it? No, why was the Elder acting like he was going to die on it. That puzzled her greatly. And worried her.

"Countess," the Steward said. "Viscount Vanessa is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Steward." Althea replied. "I will be right there."

The orb had already shut off, there was no need for her to stay around now. And she did not have the free time to think about it.

"Have you decided on the position yet?" she asked the Steward as she walked towards her bedroom.

"Not yet, Countess." the Steward said.

Wait what? Come on, it had been a couple of days, she had been hoping for an answer by now.

"Please tell me when you do." she said.

"I have mentioned the academy to some of my colleagues, I'm sure we will get their response in a month." the Steward said.

"A month?" That was an awfully long period of time.

"The mailing system takes time, Countess. Not everyone has an orb, and normal mail has to move through land."

"Hmm." Perhaps she should do something about that. There was a lot of economic potential in a more magical method of transmitting messages.

But they had arrived at her bedroom, the ideas would have to wait. Vanessa was sitting at a desk in her library, alone for once.

"Please, sit." Althea said as she walked in.

Vanessa obediently moved over to her living room, and sat down on one of the sofas.

"What do you need of me, Countess?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing." Althea replied, not quite sure how to start the conversation. But it must be started.

"I found out where your parents are." A direct approach should work, right?

The look of surprise and hope on Vanessa's face made Althea's heart crumble. After all, she was about to tell the poor girl that her parents were dead. That they had died long ago, and that most of her family was dead too. That was sure to be painful. Perhaps she should have started with telling her that they were dead to begin with.

"Where are they, Countess?" The hesitance in Vanessa's tone as she spoke made Althea even more hesitant, but she had already come too far.

"I fear they are dead." ALthea said. "I asked the Aer about them, and this is the reply I received."

"The two of them were well past their prime, well over eighty in when they gave birth to you." Althea said. "The birth was too much for your mother, and your father died of grief soon after."

Vanessa's disappointment was clear on her face, and Althea had taken to using her power to sense her emotions.

"In the beginning, you were taken care of by your half-brother, but then-"

"The Fae kidnapped me. Vanessa finished, resignation settling into her voice.

"Yes." Althea replied, aware of the girl's growing distress. This wasn't good. Not good at all. Perhaps she should have asked Nathan to accompany Vanessa. Yes, that would have been a good idea. But what could she do now?

"Are they alive?" Vanessa asked. "Have they been looking for me?"

"I-" Althea hesitated, looking at the eager eyes made her want to keep the truth from her. But that would be foolish. "No. A beast tide killed them a few years ago."

"Oh." Vanessa's shoulders slumped as Althea felt a huge wave of grief and sadness come over her. The girl must have been hoping for some good news about her family, especially since Nathan found his own family. There was little she could give her.

"There is another brother." Althea said, trying to lift her spirits. "From your mother's side, an older son from her previous marriage."

"Oh?" Vanessa looked eager.

"But he doesn't know about you. In fact, I don't know if he remembers his mother at all." Althea sighed.

"To cut a long tale short, your mother used to be the Duchess of Zeloria. But due to her lacking talent, and her inability to have children after giving birth, she was divorced. By the Duke.

The Duke used mind magic to ensure that her son, your brother, did not remember her. I know that the Duke is now estranged with his son, who refuses to even use the Zerolian name, but I do not know if he has recovered his memory." Althea spat out the words as quickly as she could, hoping that they wouldn’t give the girl much distress. At least this relative of hers was alive rather than dead.

Vanessa looked down on the carpet, her emotions growing too complex for Althea to glean into. A mixture of sadness, hope and…something darker.

"Please don't think too much." Althea reached out and clutched Vanessa' hand. "Even if you don't have family elsewhere, you have Nathan and Isa. And I assure you, that as long as I am alive, you will always have a home here, Viscountess."

"Thank you, Countess." Vanessa said, but her smile was still sad, and her emotions were still in a darker spiral. Althea wanted to say more, but the Steward opened the door, interrupting her.

"What is it?" she asked, a bit rudely.

"A farmer just delivered this letter, your grace." the Steward said, handing it to her.

Althea looked at it, her irritation growing, and then took a deep breath. The Steward had to have known what this meant. So did the farmer and the maids. But it was not up to them to make the announcement. No, that was her duty.

"Steward Ven." Althea began, suppressing her inner sigh. "Ring the balls. Call the Empress. Send the latters."

The breeze blew through the room as Vanessa opened the door and stepped out. Althea did not stop her. As much as she wanted to, there were other things for her to do.

"Inform the entire Empire. The harvest has begun."

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Vanessa looked at the piece of paper in her hands, wondering if she would be so bold as to send it. A foolish piece of paper, really. What reason would the son of a Duke have to listen to her? And trust her?

No, she corrected herself. The son of a Duke did have a reason to listen to her. Vanessa wasn't a random commoner anymore. Not slave to the whims of others anymore. No, she was a Viscountess. A Viscountess of Diery. Even the son of a Duke would at least read her letter. That was a privilege she had. A privilege she was now glad of.

"Please make sure that this reaches its destination." she said to the courier, handing him her letter.

"I shall do my best, my lady." the man bowed, stepping out of the room.

Vanessa sighed and went back to looking out of her window. There wasn't a huge line yet, but she was told that would happen soon enough. The Diery harvest, the legendary harvest that produced the largest amount of crops in the entire continent, had begun. At least that would be an interesting show.