The church was one of the founding pillars of the kingdom; in fact, it was the central pillar. With the many religions spread over the world, spiritual guides were as important as strong leaders. Finding a reason to stop handing the orphanages over to the church was like finding a reason to keep medicine from the sick. Almost always, it would get you hated and overruled. Unless you could prove the medicine was actually poison. Yet, the church wouldn't poison its followers. The gods of this world were not myths spread over time but creatures of great and powerful infuence.
“Ravina Rosewell Ravinshield.” Isabella Sommerfeld’s voice cut through the young girl’s thoughts. The lanky woman stared at her from across the classroom. Though calling it a classroom might be a bit of an overstatement—it was a small room with fine wooden floors and delicately decorated with minimalist decor. Ravina was seated at a small wooden desk in a fine chair. Isabella Sommerfeld was standing by a wall covered with a blackboard. It was covered in her handwriting, neat and a little crooked.
“I understand that we are on a set timeframe now, however, this is my time, and I will have you pay attention.” Isabella had become a lot more intense in her lessons now that her lecture hours were set in stone.
Ravina smiled. "Sorry, Lady Isabella," she paid the woman the lip service she wanted. She was right, after all—Ravina needed to focus on the lesson. However, there were more things that she needed to think on. So, perhaps she could also steer the content of the lesson? "It’s just that I was distracted by something Sir Brian said." Sorry Brian, but the trial of a dead man is not somthing im looking forward to. She appologiezed to Brian in her mind.
“And that's keeping you from the history lesson? I know the trial of a cadaver would be of little interest since the man’s sentence couldn’t be carried out, but I would have thought you would appreciate Bishop Phormoesis's role, considering your lack of enthusiasm for the church.”
“Oh, but it is interesting,” Ravina agreed. It was rather fascinating, including the downfall of the Thoroasartra before it was even declared. However, "Putting a dead man on trial is rather… pointless. Sure, the blame was shifted and a war averted, but at the end of the day, it was because no one really wanted the war in the first place. Lord Bernard neither had the manpower, and Bishop Oscar had no desire. It was nothing more than a show for the people." Before Lady Isabella could object, Ravina quickly added, "What interests me is the fact that Sir Brian used the term 'Vong’th Uprising' to justify trying to remove—ahem, Lady Aurelia from the guard.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Isabella barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "The Posthumous Trial was not merely a show for the people," she sighed and tapped her hands on the table next to her, thinking. "Very well, let's do this. Since you are interested in something, however you must get top marks in the evaluation on friday. Not a single missed answer, or else I get to increase our hours by two."
"Risky…" Ravina mused. "But acceptable." It wasn't just pride or a false sense of superiority. Her classes covered Language, Literature, History, Geography, Philosophy, and Ethics, as well as Mathematics, Law, Music, and Arts. Add etiquette to that, and that’s the one she had been paying especially careful attention to. The need to stay on the count's good side also extended to those powerful enough to help her. Those in power cared about how people looked and acted here.
Language was simple enough; it focused on her ability to speak and identify words. There was no hidden ancient language that nobles needed to know. There were a few court languages she needed to be aware of, however, no one needed to learn them unless they were part of said court. History and Geography were not tested materials, nor were Philosophy and Ethics, too open to interpretation.
Math was at a child's level—at least compared to her old world—and law was too easy. Essentially, it boiled down to ‘don't disobey the nobles or die,’ or something to that degree. Music and arts were risky, but she had only learned the basics of music theory, if that's what it's called. She was confident she could achieve a perfect score. If not, well, she had done everything she could to prepare; all that was needed now was for Aurelia to prepare the kids and Mathus to prep her meetings. There was no more time to ready herself.
As Ravina fell back into thought about how to handle the orphanage problem, Isabella smiled, sure of her victory. "Excellent! We might have a few years, but you must be well-educated before you arrive," she repeated for the hundredth time.
“Of course, learn everything before going to school.”
“Yes, because—”
“I won’t be an embarrassment to the house. Now, Lady Isabella, I believe the subject of this lesson is the Vong’th uprising?”
“Yes, well, it's part of your curriculum anyway.” Isabella smiled, pleased to progress the lesson. “We will delve a bit deeper. Do you know anything about House Vong’th?”
“No.”
“I figured. It’s not a story that would be passed around. These days, it’s more of a whispered legend…”