DUTY, DILIGENCE, AND DIGNITY
Peak of Autumn, Week 5, Day 2
Evelyn Dawn has always believed in duty and diligence and dignity. It was as her mother had instructed her after they agreed that she Awakened to the uncommon [Young Lady of Magic] Class.
“Privilege leads to duty, Evelyn. You and your brother are the future of our house.” Mother had called Evelyn into the official Countess’ office, and it still sent shivers up Eve’s spine, “Do not disappoint. Your Class and Affirmation give you power –and Dawns wield our power deftly. Anything less is unacceptable.”
That was years ago now, and no one could accuse Eve of being lesser than her brother, Raphael. Not in anything. Well, except for swordsmanship. But Eve found swordsmanship uncouth. Not because she was a lady, but because Eve believed a Mage’s path the superior course –which, along with hours of studying and a naturally high Magic stat, was likely why she was offered such a Class.
And so, as Eunora was having her Affirmation in the not-so-distant capital, Eve was practicing her Dexterity. She was training her fingers to be nimble and utilize every bit of her stats. It was one thing to be given Strength or Perception –or Dexterity, specifically, and it was a whole other thing to know how to use it. And so Eve often spent her mornings practicing embroidery, or the piano, or painting. Today, it was embroidery. She would do so until her Skill tutor would arrive mid-morning. In the afternoon, Eve would head off to the Magic Tower located in a nearby town, wherein she would write lines, practice runes, and learn to funnel mana in new and varying ways.
Eve was nearly fourteen now. She’d collected a half dozen non-affinity combat spells, but soon, she’d be able to take an affinity test and contract with a spirit. She was sure she could do it. She was Level 16 already, nearly caught up to Raph. Despite how grotesque she found monster hunting, Eve had conquered her disgust and often followed her tutors into the woods. Sometimes, she would even accompany the Dusk Knights when they were patrolling, hunting monsters around the estate. Evelyn often found them too crude for her tastes, but she knew nearly half of the knights were commoners. So what could she expect, really?
In a stroke of luck, last time she was out, she’d found a nest of juvenile mimics –she’d eradicated the lot of them. Well, she’d thought she’d gotten them all. Turns out one of the weaker ones had climbed into Eve’s bag and mimicked a bar of conditioner.
Eve always kept a full set of washing supplies in her bag. You never knew when you’d get covered in monster blood –and it was undignified for a noble to walk around as such. She also had invested some of her allowance on a few Quick Clean potions that would wash –and dry– her clothes on the spot. Thus, she hadn’t noticed an extra bar until she was back at the estate and organizing her bag.
Sure, she could have left it to the maids. But what good was that? If Eve wanted to best Raph, she had to be able to fend for herself. Well, mostly. She hadn’t learned to cook or anything. Just. She could pack. That was easy. Anyway, she’d been laying out her supplies on her bed when she’d curiously found not one but two bars of conditioner when Eve was certain she’d only had the one.
And then a wicked —because that is truly all it could be called— grin spread across her face.
“Oh, brilliant, this will be fun.”
And so, as this had all occurred two days before, after the maids had finished packing but late enough that Eve knew the knights weren’t about to head out, Eve —who was definitely not sneaking— went out to the packed carriage and sifted through the many bags tucked away in the storage crate. Eve had found the bag containing the rest tent and gingerly slid in the mimic, using very delicate mana manipulation not to so much as touch the beast. She made sure to remove the actual conditioner so no one would question anything.
Though, honestly, Eve wasn’t sure the mimic would survive being stuck in a storage crate. She wasn’t all that sure about the mechanics of it, but it should be a grand time either way.
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It was, after all, Evelyn’s parting gift to her middle sister.
Thus, a mere two days later, she found herself smiling down at her embroidery, wondering if Eunora had found her present. Likely not yet. Adeline was less than a day's travel, and the rest tent was only set up at night —well, on all of Evelyn’s trips, it was only set up at night. Knowing Eunora, she’d be unable to hold it and pee herself and need the tent on the very first day.
Evelyn gave a mild snort at the thought, before catching herself and giving a dainty giggle. Snorting was oh so unladylike.
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As Eve was sipping on some gingerberry tea and looking over her latest creation —a rather beautiful embroidered version of a blue flower called a Primal Lover. It had purple speckles and a brown stem. Eve was using a red thread to go over her mistakes —correcting them in such a way as not to sweep her failings under the rug. That wouldn’t do for a member of the Dawn. One must always be accountable for their failings.
It was then that Theo stormed into Eve’s room, his cheeks flushed and all composure gone. She tutted at him, he was still young, but even so. It was rather unlike him to be so crass.
“Theo, be more mind-“
“Oh, be quiet!” Theo huffed, his hands on his knees as he collected his breath. It was well known his Class barely boosted his physical abilities and instead focused on mental. Plus, he was only 9, so he had only a level or two under his belt, “Have you heard?”
Eve sighed and put down her needle, “Heard what?”
Even as Theo was huffing, a mocking grin came across his face, “You haven’t.”
Theo did drop the smile, though Eve had really rather wanted to curse it off. But, her chance already gone, she pursed her lips and picked up her sugar spoon. She spoke as she stirred another teaspoon of sugar into her tea.
“Stop being cryptic and say what you’ve come to say.”
“Well, this is a treat. I get to tell you, too,” Theo, who was usually so stoic, had a dark joy to his voice, “Eunora had her Affirmation.”
Evelyn leveled Theo with an unamused look, “Thank you for the insight. We were all told the schedule.”
“No —you don’t understand.” Theo’s eyes lit up, reveling in Evelyn’s confusion, “Viscount Hedrow was there and he told his son-“
Evelyn held up a well-manicured finger, “Get to the point, Theo.”
“I’m almost there. He told his son, Jerome —the one who I swap letters with, that he was nearly blinded by the Affirmation.”
Evelyn froze.
“Eunora’s Affirmation nearly blinded him.”
Evelyn shot Theo another look, and bit out, “Yes, I heard you the first time.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed at Eve’s tone, but he had another pedantic smile across his face, “Oh, come off it.”
Theo glanced at Evelyn’s hand, which was clenching the sugar spoon so tightly the metal was bending.
“Aren’t you going to throw anything?” Theo sounded almost disappointed, and for a moment, Evelyn considered shooting a magic missile at her brother but opted not to go through with it.
Theo wasn’t like Eunora. He had a barrier spell he’d already leveled. And the ability to hold a grudge. If Evelyn tried anything on Theo, she’d likely wake up to a bed full of mimics —not just a soap bar. He was discreetly horrible like that. Evelyn was halfway sure that Theo was a sociopath.
“No. Why?” Eve grit out.
“Because Raphael threw a sword at me.”
Eve blinked, “A sword?”
Theo held his hands out and mimicked swinging a sword, “He’s insane. He just chucked the thing. If I didn’t have [Barrier of the Mind], he would’ve nicked me.”
Evelyn eyed her brother but, surprisingly, he didn’t seem vexed by Raph’s actions. Theo was clearly elated that he was able to bask in both Eve and Raph’s misery.
Eve closed her eyes, running through all the possible consequences such an Affirmation would bring, before snapping them open.
“Will Mother bring her back?”
“Absolutely not,” Theo shot out, “Did you see her face when we had that dinner? When Eunora didn’t show, I could see a vein in Father’s forehead.”
“Well, at least there’s that.” Eve released her grip on the spoon, placing it down gently next to her teacup, “Did you ever figure out what rank her Class was?”
Theo already had one hand on the door as he nodded.
“Mother thinks it’s a Rare class.”
Evelyn sat in shocked silence as Theo began slipping out the door, only for him to drop a final piece of information.
“And she thinks she’s already leveled.”
Evelyn watched the door slam behind her brother just as her magic hit the wood.
Eve was no worse than Raphael. But she certainly wasn’t better.