Clodia entered her house, dragging her body through the threshold and feeling the exhaustion of the day finally settling in. They had commanded one of the most amazing impromptu events that Amorium had ever seen. Once word had spread that the [Princess] herself would be present at this pastry-making demonstration and that free food would be handed out, there was a field of grain worth of people at the Pratus. If it hadn't been for the Watch guarding the four 'chokepoints' that led to the park, they might have been swarmed and faced a rather difficult situation. Thankfully, Joey had thought of that, and that's why he had suggested the Watch mostly to take care of the four bridges that crossed into the greenery of the Pratus.

He's crazy, but he's not stupid, Clodia thought, stretching her back. She had gone over all the orders that people had placed with Flavia, and all of them paid upfront to secure the Little Princesses. In one swift move, Joey had just returned the bakery's cash flow positive.

Now, if she could only figure out why Cornelia Valeria Novafamilia wanted them to cater their famous party for the Day of Blooming, then Clodia could finally—

"Rotten roots!" Her heart jumped into her throat as she found her mother, Marcella Tullia Aureamanus, sitting at the table in her kitchen.

"That bad? I was told by that [Alchemist] that the new serum would help with the wrinkles."

"Mother!" Clodia exhaled, not addressing her mother's sense of humor. "Why must you do this to me? Couldn't you wait outside?"

"You are my daughter, Clodia. My flesh and blood. One day, you'll have my inheritance. Until that day, your filial duties must be paid in great inconvenience and irritation. Such is the way of daughterhood."

Clodia wondered for a moment if she could throw her mother out from one of her kitchen windows. Knowing her, she wouldn't get hurt—Marcella had enough Enchantments on her to be more dangerous and resilient than a couple of [Warriors] and [Mages] put together.

Looking at the expensive glass in her windows, however, she shook her head and simply sat at the table with her mother.

"You handled this crisis brilliantly," Marcella said with a smile, making a warm cup of tea appear in front of her daughter.

"Thanks. But you should compliment Joey, not me."

"Oh, nonsense. Joey's a gifted individual, Clodia, but you are my daughter. My gifts run through your blood."

"Sure," Clodia said, sniffing the tea and taking a sip from the peppery concoction a second later. "Good stuff. How many golds did you waste on this?"

"Clodia," Marcella ignored her, "do you ever wish you were doing more?"

"I wish I could be sleeping in my bed without my mother barging into my house, especially when she doesn’t have the keys or a legal way of entering. But knowing her, she could probably bribe her way out of jail."

"I asked the question because these new developments made me think of your future. The [Princess] herself came to Amorium and will be working in your bakery."

"Joey's bakery, mom," the muscular Elf replied.

"For now," Marcella waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure he will move on at some point. Settling in Amorium for the long term would prove… hard."

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"Whatever you say, mom," Clodia sighed again. "Can I go now?"

"No," Marcella's tone became harsher, "you may not. I need you to work closely with [Princess] Laurealia, Clodia."

"Why?"

"Because your future will be complicated. I've allowed you to build your own life, Clodia. For a long time, I've been certain that I wouldn't interfere. However, there are things happening right now that might put my safety in jeopardy. Therefore, we'll accelerate your career. You don't need to become a [Merchant], child—don’t fret, I know that deals are not your forte."

Clodia scrutinized her mother with an inquisitive look.

"However, you are fit enough to manage people wonderfully. Therefore, once the [Princess] is back in Aethereum, you'll come to work with me."

"Work with you? What? Where? Aren't you retired?"

"I have more than one job," Marcella said slowly. "You'll learn it all in due time. For now, I have some requests. First, you shall get close to [Princess] Laurealia. Not romantically—that would make things chaotic. No. You'll learn to be around high-level, important people with great classes in a safe space. I don't plan on throwing you naked into a poisoned forest; don't worry."

The more her mother kept saying, 'don't worry,' the more Clodia started to feel anxious about this conversation. Her mother had previously mentioned that she would have liked it if she had learned more from her, but this was starting to cross a line Clodia was really not comfortable with.

"Mom, I'm not one of your employees," Clodia rebuked. "Please, stop with this nonsense. I'm not going anywhere. If the [Princess] needs help, I'll help. But she's clearly getting along better with Joey, so hopefully, I won't have to go through with whatever sick idea you're germinating."

"Joey and the [Princess]?" Marcella raised an eyebrow. "Are we talking about [Princess] Laurealia, one of the most racist Elves I've met in my lifetime? That child, despite her family's education, has grown to hate Humans publicly. She doesn't care about it being a taboo in her family. She publicly declared that she would storm the coast of Teiko herself if her father allowed it."

"I don't know what to tell you," Clodia shrugged. "I saw them fight, but then, they went for a walk, had a chat, and they seemed incredibly friendly when they came back. I know Joey fought with Flaminia again, though."

Marcella seemed taken aback by the news and narrowed her eyes as she pondered in silence.

"It wasn’t a big fight, from what I gathered. You shouldn't worry about it; Flaminia is just being Flaminia and butting her nose into Joey's love life. Your investment is still safe."

"Silence, Clodia," Marcella waved a hand, irritated. "I don't care about your gossip. I'm worried about… never mind. You, then, shall get close to the [Princess] together with the Human."

"Isn't it a good thing that she's overcoming her rotten hate for Humans?" Clodia was confused.

"Sure…" Marcella nodded, "but anyway, there are other concerns. How fruitful was today’s event for your bakery?"

"Joey's bakery is doing pretty good," Clodia replied. "He had yet another gold-making idea. That's it."

"I'll come to inspect your books tomorrow," Marcella said.

"Sure, have at it."

"You seem awfully happy about the day."

"Joey saved the bakery, mom; what do you expect?" Clodia sighed.

Marcella stared intently into Clodia's eyes, tension slowly electrifying the silence.

"I expect my daughter to do more, Clodia."

"This is all you get," Clodia shrugged. "Now, do you want me to see if I can break the Enchantments you carry around, or are you leaving on your own accord?"

Marcella looked at the muscular Elf, non-plussed.

"I need another favor, Clodia," Marcella said.

"Do you want me to go to a [Healer] again to see if they can make me like men instead of women?"

Marcella just stared in return.

"Ok, mom, what is it?"

Clodia, already scared under her tough exterior, clutched the huge wooden spoon she usually carried around through the opening of her bag of holding.

"You should inform your people that the grain prices are rising again. There have been unforeseen changes in our deals that have been triggered by a rather poor harvest this season."

Clodia's eyes went wide.

"What?! How much?!"

"Two coppers per pound," Marcella said.

"WHAT?! THAT WILL BANKRUPT US!"

"Don't worry, I'm more than happy to lend you more money," Marcella smiled sweetly. "For the right price, obviously."

Before Clodia could react, she heard a frantic knocking on her front door and, still shocked, got up to check who it was. As she opened, she found a panting Quintus, who wheezed a few words out of his mouth, "Flaminia… they stabbed… Flaminia… she's…"