She immediately tasked Walter Aaron with investigating the bandits Joana had mentioned. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Joana, but Joana had been vague about the details, especially when it came to the merchant group that made her hesitant. Ravina wanted to know more—who they were, why they were involved, and what power they held.
Returning to school with Mona in tow felt oddly routine, despite everything. What struck Ravina as particularly strange, however, was the complete silence from Rupert and his father. After everything that had happened, it was unusual that they hadn’t made any moves. Not that she minded the lack of contact—it was just… curious.
To deal with the nagging uncertainties, she penned a letter to her father. She left out the more delicate details, only mentioning that there seemed to be a significant number of kidnappings in the City of Education. While she wanted to act right away didnt know what to do as the daughter of the raven. She hoped this would lead to less questions and a more civil response.
From that moment, Ravina was determined to get to know her servants better. She couldn’t recall when it happened, but at some point, they had become so routine that she only recognized them by their titles. For instance, Walter Aaron was the caretaker of the manor. She had to relearn his name through the maids, who were more than happy to remind her and didn’t seem to find it strange that she had forgotten. However, to Ravina, it felt almost…criminal. These were the people supporting her, and she couldn't continue treating them like faceless pawns.
With this in mind, she asked Walter to bring her a list of the manor’s servants. To her surprise, there were 75 of them. She had only ever seen a handful—five at most.
"Mr. Aaron," she began, tapping the list in her hand thoughtfully, "please schedule a thirty-minute interview with each of the staff over the next few days. Let’s limit it to a maximum of three per day."
Walter’s brows rose in clear surprise, though he quickly masked it with a polite nod. "I... I will, my lady. However, I must say, that’s quite a lot of interviews. It would take up a significant portion of your time, my lady."
Ravina waved off his concern, her gaze shifting back to the list. "That's fine, Walter. I’m not particularly busy these days." Magic class was becoming rather boring, after all. Seemingly a waste of her time now. Practical or not, while it was fascinating to learn new spells, they had started diving into specializations. Ravina was a jack of all trades—master of none. Even with her unique talent in magic, she had limitations, like healing for example. She needed an actual Green Mage to perform healing so she was restored in perfect working order.
Like it never even happened. Scratching her itchy arms she watched Walter leave. “I understand, my lady.” He bowed and exited the room to fulfill her request, leaving Ravina alone with the paperwork.
She sighed, flipping through the forms. The average wage was about 20 silver per week. After all their hard work, they likely couldn't afford the luxuries she took for granted, like the cafe she frequented. They would need more than two weeks of earnings and that was just to enjoy the cafe, let alone live. It was... eye-opening.
Her mind lingered on the number—75 servants. Most of them were on retainer, it seemed, which was beneficial for them, but why on earth did the manor need 60 support staff when just three would suffice? She suspected it had something to do with noble prestige. A, look how powerful I am employing 75 workers for a small cottage in the educational city. She was considering reducing the number of servants after her interviews, increasing pay to each. If the count was fine with spending over 2000 silver a week he shouldn't care for the number of people that divided it. That is, with the count's permission, of course.
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Once she had a solid understanding of the servants’ positions, Ravina moved on to the task she had been delaying the most. She hesitated for a moment before pulling out the envelope Baron Maklerin had sent after their first meeting. Before, she had been too busy with that bastard, but now… She needed to understand his intentions. She opened it, her fingers trembling slightly. Inside were three documents, and as she unfolded them, her eyes widened in surprise.
The first report stated that a mercenary group had ambushed several Ravenshield cargo carriages, causing significant delays in shipments. There was no name for the group, only a vague promise that more information could be uncovered with proper funding. It was interesting that the information provided matched the information Joana gave her. It would be beneficial to pay him… yet the idea of working with that disgusting family was sickening just to think about. Surely they would be able to find out enough about the attacks on their own to stop them.
The second document detailed troubling activity concerning the school she was supposed to attend. Apparently, her reputation had plummeted due to rumors that she had been bullying the nation’s newly appointed saint—a position that hadn’t existed for centuries. Ravina hadn’t even attended the school so it seemed like someone was manipulating the gossip, for what, she did not know.
But it was the third document that truly shocked her. It was about Sheila. After the run-in with the man from their old village, Sheila had apparently embarked on a path of self-destruction. The report stated that she had been seeking out ill-tempered men and would often be seen the next day bruised and battered. There were more reports about her destructive behavior but Ravina couldn't bear to read more.
A chill ran down Ravina’s spine. She stood abruptly, her heart raced as concern as guilt welled up within her. She wasted no time in seeking out Walter. Her footsteps were brisk, nearly echoing down the quiet halls of the manor. She found him in the foyer, already engaged in another task, but she interrupted without hesitation.
“Mr. Aaron,” she called, her voice tight. Walter straightened and approached immediately, sensing her urgency. "Tell me what you think about this." She thrust the document about Sheila into his hands, shifting uneasily as he began to read.
Walter’s expression remained neutral, though his eyes darkened slightly as he scanned the page. “Tragic,” he said after a moment, his tone calm but solemn. “But not completely unheard of. The magic academy holds its students to strict standards, after all.” He glanced up at her. That's right. They still thought she was just attending the Amaranth Aeolian Clerisy Academy—what a ridiculous name, Ravina thought in a flash of anger.
“Maybe,” she muttered, rubbing her temples. “But she only started this behavior after her encounter with a man—Mr. Carthwrite, from her village. Do you think he has something to do with it?”
Walter’s gaze flickered with uncertainty. He wasn’t sure what exactly she was looking for, but he could see the desperation in her eyes. “I do not know, my lady. Shall I have someone look into it?”
Ravina hesitated, gnawing on her bottom lip. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes, and find out everything you can about him."
Walter bowed, taking the document with him as he moved to carry out her order. Ravina, left standing alone in the foyer, couldn’t shake the gnawing unease that had settled deep in her chest. If only I wasn’t so self-absorbed, she thought bitterly. She should have paid more attention to her friends—to Sheila. Could they even call them friends? The truth was, she hadn’t spent time with any of them outside of class these days.
Her fingers clenched into fists, frustration building inside her. “What an absolute bitch,” she chided herself.