Three days have passed since her conversation with Kalmin, leaving her a total of four days spent. The Mid-level manager had given her a lot to think about and with three days left, she was still no closer to figuring out a proper solution. That was the key, after all, she couldn't just research other solutions to this task and pick the common one. She had to find out what the actual solution was. There had to be something more to this issue than a simple solution. Madam Pelmen most likely had already found a proper solution to it and was testing her to see if she could find it. At the very least she had to come close. Unfortunately, she was nowhere near an answer. Not a correct one anyway.
The young raven couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she was missing. It seemed an obvious answer to side with the city and as such the larger mine. After all the smaller one was little more than a tourist destination because of some famous love story. Yet that was the obvious answer. Something anyone might choose. Even still, going with the smaller mine might be daring, one could argue in their defense for the other mine's negligence, but again… it didn't seem right. It was as if she was given a multiple-choice test with only two answers and knew that both of them were wrong.
Spinning in this circle of confusion Ravina had read everything the butler had given her twice over. Somewhere along the line, each word caused her head to throb and even the feel of paper made her feel sickly as it burned her fingers ever so slightly. More and more her overworked eyes found their way to the window, seeing a beautiful garden a bright sky, and the bars keeping her indoors.
She was staring at the sea of flowers when a knock rapped on her door. Three sharp notes sang a quick tune of ‘rat-ta-ta’, breaking the young girl from her trance. With a sharp breath, she shook her head before looking around for Siet. standing up when she couldn't find the young girl, she breathed out a small sigh of relief when she remembered she stepped out to bring some more tea. She was sick of tea, to the tongue of a peasant girl and a refined broke woman, the taste of dirty water never did anything more to warm her up. However, it was an aleaving task, the delicate ceramic cup seemed to cool her hands, and the brief moments of sipping the warm liquid calmed her heart.
It was a welcome respite from the arduous task before her. “My Lady?” the questioned entered the room through the closed door. The familiar note of it perked up Ravina’s ears and excited her heart.
“Ah, Aurelia!” she cried as she began to the door. The beautiful knight was always busy these days, mainly because the young raven had stopped going out so much. As such Brian Weighdur, the Commander of the Vorgeset Guard, had been taking her out for training or unit exercises. As such the unrefined skill of a wandering blade had been fined tuned into something greeted. Or so Ravina heard when Sir Brian kept bragging about her like she was his own daughter. That level of brown-nosing might not be fully trustworthy but the Aurzera’s warrior eyes sparkled proudly, giving away the fact that she felt herself improving.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Or so Ravina thought whenever she got lost in the ocean of her eyes. “One moment!” she cried as she fled from the paperwork strung about on her table. She quickly opened the door and invited the woman inside. “Please come in!” She begged with a bright smile. With a nod, her guard did just that, stepping inside and looking around with a tight frown on her face.
“Have you been well?” She asked as the door shut with a small clik-clat.
“Well?” Ravina repeated as she turned around. “Of course, Seit takes proper care of me after all.” moving to the seating area, the young girl picked a seat furthest from the reassure she had, offering it to Aurelia herself. “Please sit.”
Taking her up on the offer the woman detached her thin sword from her hip and sat in the seat the girl had offered. “I only asked because it's been quite some time since you left this room.” it wasn't stuffy by any means, the maid that was attached to Ravina’s hip was a hard worker, keeping a constantly used room refreshed even when its occupant didn't leave. It was actually quite impressive.
“Ah, well—I don't really have anything else to do, do I? Plus the deadline is so short.” her bright smile faltered when her eyes fell on the paper-laden table. Aurelia squinted a little surprised to find tears forming in her eyes. Or were they tears? They looked like tears.
“So, do you plan to put down the blade then?”
“Put down the blade?”
“It's been over three days since you last trained with one, of course, a girl in your position would never need to learn how to wield it, but you did hire me to train you…”
Ravina was on her feet before Aurelia could finish her sentence, “No! That sounds brilliant!”
The sword woman was taken aback, “Brilliant?” she questioned.
Clapping her hands the girl agreed. “Yes! After all, I've been here for so long that I forgot what it feels like for my muscles to ache!”
“Do you now?” Ravina would later regret her choice of words. Words taken as a challenge to her sword instructor. However for now the girl was excited about the outing.
She was done with reading and thinking. Especially because she was spinning in a circle. Not only did she practically have the paperwork here memorized but she even counted the number of flowers in the garden, the candles in her room, and even the feathers in her pillow. Although that one became unsalvagable after she tore it open.
“Let's go now!” she begged. Just in time, the young Siet entered the room with a sharp knock.
Pushing a small trolly inside she announced that “the tea is ready.”
“Perfect!” Ravina cried, warming the young maid's heart at her good work. Siet knew how much Ravina loved her tea, she especially liked holding the warm cup in her hand. While she was worried that she might be cold the sight of the young girl enjoying one cup after another warmed her own heart.
“Siet, help me get ready! I'm going to the library!” her smile faded at the word library. The word pinged her heart. It started out as a lie of necessity. However, whenever she used the word now she remembered the butler's expression when he insisted she could use the grand raven's library, here at the manor. For some reason, his genuine care worried her. Yet, she shook it out of her mind. It was just a continuation of the original lie right now, thinking of another one would force her to, well, think of one and thinking was the last thing she wanted to do right now.