All of the people of the town were gathered in the town square; Ariadne and Alon were on platforms facing the crowd. Numerous posts had been set up all over the town. Despite not knowing what those things did, everyone assisted as the duchess instructed. The duchess moved forward as the sun started to set.
‘Everyone, today is the beginning of a new world in which we will be the center; no one under me will ever again be afraid of the dark.’ She said it proudly.
People in the town center were startled by what was happening as the lights began to light up nearby. Some were even scared. Alon stepped forward and motioned for the guards, who calmed the crowd.
‘See? What if I say this is just the beginning? More will happen, but i can only move forward with your support, With your help, if everyone step up, we will be the light in the dark like those above you.’ Ariadne pointed her fan at the audience as she uttered these words.
A nervous-looking mayor approached Ariadne’s side, expressing his shock at what he was witnessing. He dismissed the rumors about lights coming from the carpenter's workshop; if this was only the beginning, his fears turned into hope.
‘ My friends, with the duchess's leadership and your support, the possibilities are limitless.’ Burns smiled at the crowd.
The audience began to cheer and yell Ariadne's name; children began to dance; and some rubbed their eyes as they stared at the lights.
‘Even the villages on the duchy will have lights, our roads will be illuminated, making travel easier, we are just starting.’ Ariadne touched Burn's shoulder.
The mayor nodded to the duchess as the event came to an end. Many people were simply walking around town to see the lights. Ariadne was accompanied to her carriage by Burns and Alon.
‘Why didn’t you mention Edmund? He created all of this, didn’t he?’ The mayor asked.
‘The peasant was the one who requested that things be this way; these lights work on their own, but as Alon here knows, many of the most crucial devices only function if the users are loyal to me and see me as their ruler.’ Ariadne flipped open her fan.
‘I see.’ Burns whispered to himself.
‘A strange requirement, but one that I’m willing to comply with.’ She fanned herself and grinned at the mayor.
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The mayor couldn’t believe such a thing existed, but the lights prevented him from letting doubt enter his mind. Instead, he simply nodded to the duchess, making sure he understood what that meant before they arrived at the carriage. When the door was opened, Rita helped Ariadne enter the carriage, but she exited right after.
‘Your highness, I’m going home with my husband. Edmund is still working at the mansion, and Eliza is either assisting him or simply holding his tools.’ Rita chuckle.
After closing the door of the carriage, Alon held Rita's hand and gave her a gracious smile as the duchess carriage started to move. Burns surveys the area as onlookers pass by them admiringly and grinning while glancing up at the lights.
‘We will need to protect this; Edmund showed me how we will do it, and the duchess is now aware of the monsters.’ Alon looked at Burns.
‘That youngster sure is unpredictable.’ Rita chuckles and leans against Alon.
‘I’m going to talk to the duchess about it all tomorrow; have a good evening, but is it even evening anymore?’ Burns scratched the back of his head, laughing at himself.
‘Let us go home.’ Alon said, his gaze fixed on Rita.
‘Yeah.’ She smiled.
When Ariadne opened the door to her office, she observed Edmund hanging the final light while Eliza looked after his tools. The two of them appeared to be calm; Eliza was taken aback by the sudden entrance of the duchess and bowed to Ariadne. The duchess was surprised by how well-lit her office was; there were no shadows, and the best part was that the brightness did not bother her eyes.
‘Well done, peasant; the townspeople were pleased; I can’t imagine their response in the future when they have something similar to these lights in their homes.’ She grinned as she surveyed her workspace.
‘It would be best for your highness to speak with the merchants and have them take care of the costs of producing everything we already have. Tomorrow, I will install some of these to light up the craftsman workshops.
‘Good ideia.’ She is still admiring her office.
‘Oh, I will have the other phone in the mayor's office starting tomorrow. ‘ Edmund pointed at the device on Ariadne’s desk.
Ariadne observed that the object was composed of two parts; she took one, and the other featured numbers. It was something that she didn’t understand. It was not a new feeling when it came to Edmund. Eliza tapped Edmund on the leg and pointed to Ariadne.
‘It isn’t working yet; it needs another in the mayor's office to function properly. I can’t right now, but I could make it smaller. With time, you will use these numbers to call different people. I believe that seeing with your own eyes will be better.’ Edmund finished installing the last light.
‘Hmm, you certainly surprise me a lot. I hope you come up with more ideas like this in the future. Ariadne wiggled the phone.
‘I can’t do everything by myself, your highness; we should teach people what I do. Leah is a good start, but we need more.’ Edmund sat on a chair in front of Ariadne’s desk.
Eliza threw the tool bag on Edmund's lap as soon as he sat down in the chair and growled angrily.
‘You’re welcome.' She looked at the young man.
Edmund jumped slightly as a result of the bag. The duchesses chuckled a little at the scene.
‘I’m sorry; thank you for your assistance.’ Edmund bowed his head to Eliza.
‘Hump’ The maid turned her head to the side.
‘You two are getting closer, huh?’ Ariadne smiled.
‘We had a good day together, so your highness isn’t incorrect.’ Edmund smiled.
‘What? I just carried your stuff around.’ Eliza crossed her arms in protest.
Ariadne laughs while facing up and keeping her eyes closed. A calm and serene Ariadne wasn’t something they often saw, so the two stared at her expression for a while.