Time moved faster than Ravina cared for. Aurelia oversaw a few kids, and they had already risen in rank within the adventurers' guild. Unfortunately, that brought some suspicion upon them as they became competent much faster than what was considered normal.
“I just found a few kids with talent,” Aurelia shrugged off Ravina's question. “It's not like the ranks really mean anything.” Only someone so skilled could make such a statement, but Ravina hadn't time to worry about such things either.
Soon enough, the kids were ready, the new structural plan for the orphanage was mapped out, checked, and double-checked, and the benefit-cost analysis was painstakingly written by hand. Everything was ready. Her argument was good; all she needed to do was deliver it. It was two days before the scheduled time when Elysia barged into her room once more and forced her to enjoy a night out on the town.
The young girl let the enthusiastic woman lead her around, surprised at the tension that left her. It was back tenfold as she was seated in the purple room once more. A few maids in the room were waiting to assist her as she entered. Her data notes and drawings had already been sent away. There was little more to do than to nervously wait.
Her lips felt dry, and the tea did little to wet them; her heart beat a beat too fast, and her skin seemed to itch without the need to scratch. But there was nothing else to do but wait... to wait and worry.
A knock on the door jolted the young girl. Instead of answering, she simply swallowed, and a maid turned around to open the door. Normally, this would be against decorum, but Ravina was glad for the chance to take another sip of tea, chewing on the water as she tried to steady herself. It was time.
Sure enough, Mathus stepped through the door and greeted her with a bow. "My lady, are you ready?" he asked. A silly question, an illusion of choice. There was no backing away now, and as if to confirm that, he continued with, "It's time."
Yes, it was time. Downing the last of her tea, Ravina stood up. Her heart was oddly calm as she turned to the old butler. "Lead the way."
For some reason, the old man smiled at her, turned, and said, "This way then," as he led her out of the purple room and down the hall. Many long and silent footsteps later, they arrived outside where a carriage awaited her.
They boarded and set off, Ravina watching the city scene move around her, feeling oddly disconnected from it. Soon enough, she entered a grand building and found herself before a large door. Mathus smiled before her. "Don't worry, it will be alright," he said, and she could only give him a weak smile and a nod. Turning to the door, he knocked twice. The firm sound echoed throughout the room, and opening the door, the man announced her arrival.
With a warm nod, the butler brought the girl to a room. There he knocked on the door and announced her: “Lady Ravina Ravenshield, esteemed daughter and sole progeny of the venerable Count Ravenshield, heir by only right, has arrived.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Ravina entered the room. What lay before her resembled an auditorium. It was round in shape but squared out at the door she had entered through, one on the leftmost side. There was plenty of room for people, and a few tables on raised platforms followed the curve of the room, all facing a lone chair with a table beside it.
Two men, wearing white robes of the church, were seated at a long table—one of three. The church members were on the left. On the right, three people in suits were seated, except for the lone woman who wore a rich dress. Ravina only recognized Hank at the table. The other two were dressed in richer attire, their clothes reflecting their high nobility. "Clothes maketh the man," or so they said. The last table, positioned in the center, held a familiar face Ravina did not expect to see here. His attire was dazzling, and had she not been accustomed to it, she would have been awestruck.
Count Ravenshield sat back in the fine leather chair, a bemused smile on his face. Ravina swallowed, her throat dry. She bowed, a moment too late. “Thank you for holding this meeting,” she addressed the man who was her father. As the highest-ranked individual, he was expected to lead the meeting. However, Ravina already knew he would not be a factor. His presence was surprising, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was just there to watch her fail.
She swallowed at the thought, her throat itchy and dry. Taking a moment to moisten her mouth from a drink on the table, she began in earnest. “As I am sure you are all aware, I would like to withdraw the grant to the church that would see them take over the orphanages under the Loraine Initiative and ensure its continued funding and operation under House Ravenshield.”
“Forgive me, little lady,” one of the priests began. He was the taller of the two, towering over his counterpart by a head. With blonde hair and silver-green eyes, the well-toned man looked more like a man of the sword than one of the cloth. “However, the good count had offered us the land, and the church has no reason to relinquish this claim.”
“That may be so, but—” she was silenced by the priest's hand.
“No,” he interrupted firmly. “The church's official stance is to retain the land. We will not be negotiating any trade or release.”
The other priest nodded, adding from his seat, “This choice is beneficial to both parties, and nothing you can say will convince us to relinquish it.” He turned his head to the count. “If there is nothing else…” he asked hesitantly. The count simply stared back at him, a thin smile on his lips. Taking that as an affirmation, the priest nodded. “Then we would like to make our verdict permanent.”
“But—” Ravina began, however, the others spoke over her.
“The elders of Raven all agree with the church's decision. We find no reason to prevent the deal from proceeding.” Ravina’s head snapped to the right. She needed to say something—this was her moment!
Before she could speak, the madam chimed in. “Right, the Council of Ravenwing would agree as well.”
It was over before it even began. More than half the members there had already decided against her proposal even though the meeting had just started. However, the nail in the coffin was Hank’s smiling face as he made the verdict 4/0.
“Of course, the orphanages’ management team agrees as well. There is simply no reason that the care of such matters should fall under noble hands,” he said, eyeing the young Raven with a satisfied smile.
“But,” Ravina began.
“No,” the priest, still seated, continued. “This has been nothing more than a waste of time. I assumed there would be some merit to this meeting, however,” he lifted the papers Ravina worked so hard on. “This is just a waste of time.” They fell back to the table with an audible thud that silenced the room.