Three weeks have passed since Ravina received permission to pursue her orphanage goal. With the count's backing, her teachers had become less vocal about her not studying around the clock. They still pressed her on education, but at least she was allowed time for self-study. She would have loved more time to prepare; however, there was a deadline. The church was set to take over within the next 93 days—plenty of time for someone versed in politics and management, but for Ravina, it was far too soon.
The girl only had a single goal in mind. Perhaps a dream could be a better metaphor, or at the very least a hope. Yet it wasn't as faint. For this one hope she spent most of her time preparing for the eventual flood of monsters pouring out of the world's largest empire. Ending only when land would be separated by water and the bodies of creatures of mana would be too few to create bridges of the corpses in the attempt to reach the islands surrounding the world.
To start she needed to prepare the nation she lived in for the war, the prelude to the end. In the story, the empire was the winner, the celebration of their victory was where the downfall of the world began… or perhaps it was—no, it had to be this story, it couldn't be any other. Nothing else matched. Nothing she could remember anyway…
Ravina swallowed her rising fears and doubts, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door ahead of her. Three weeks had given her plenty of time to prepare at least the basics of her research, and now, she needed to start.
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“Come.” came the simple call of Madam Pelman. She was the obvious choice to ask for help. The good Madam had been the cornerstone of the Ravenshield’s administration scene before Ravina was born, perhaps even before the count was born. She was well enough versed in politics and management to aid her, if she was willing… With one last deep breath Ravina opened the door and walked inside, clutching the papers in her hands with all the hope she dared to care about.
Drawing on all her training, Ravina entered with grace, bowed, and greeted Madam Pelman with carefully chosen words. "Good morrow, Honorable Madam Pelman, matriarch of the esteemed House Ravensword and skillful steward of our house. I stand before you as Ravina, first daughter of the Great House Ravenshield, humbly wishing to convey my deepest respects." Ravina smiled at her words, so sure of the successful greeting that she didn't expect Madam Pelman's corrections.
"You’ve bowed too deeply for a greeting to a branch family, and your choice of words was rather wordy," Madam Pelman said with a distasteful frown, nitpicking the young girl's demeanor. "You're holding papers—where is your servant to carry them? Has the Great House of Ravenshield fallen so far that it can't afford a servant for such simple tasks?" The creak of her chair as she pushed it over wood sounded in the air. The madam strained as she got up but tried not to let anyone see it—yet it was clear to all that her efforts were in vain. It was only out of respect that Ravina didn't mention anything about it. That, and the barrage of corrections the good madam gave her.