“In hindsight, it’s obvious why there was no engagement announcement shortly after the party,” grumbled a man in his late twenties.
The man in question was known as Torsten Arcan. He was the head of the Arcan family, the noble family who oversaw the administration of the Royal Academy in the capital. Due to this position of guiding the young nobility of Sengar’s education, the Arcans were a powerful family in the political sphere as well. It was natural that they were one of the families considered the head of the Nationalist faction, as they valued the country’s prosperity over that of the royal family when it was appropriate.
As the head of the family, Torsten also directly served as the Head of the Academy, which further enabled his control of the educational direction in the country. Many other members of the Arcan family served in other administrative positions or as professors. It was not an exclusive hold that the Arcans had, but was practically as good as such.
Torsten was not a heavyset man, though he was certainly on his way to becoming so. Fortunately, he was tall enough that his expanding waistline was mostly canceled out when he stood. His sharp, observant eyes were a golden brown color and constantly flicked about to read those he spoke with. His hair was a darker brown, which he kept at a modest length but slicked back with a gel-like product. His chin-curtain style beard was kept well groomed and he likewise used the gel to keep every hair in place. Looking frazzled was out of the question for him. He wore the standard attire for Academy personnel: a deep, V-neck black robe with a shirt underneath that was Sengar orange. A black tie around his neck completed the general look, though as the Head of the Academy, he also had several pins on the left side of his robe’s chest which indicated his position.
Torsten was alone in his office at the Academy, as per his standard routine he had arrived quite early and gotten straight to business. His statement came from the notice that had just come to him from the palace. The crown prince and the hero were coming today to inspect the Academy’s campus. Apparently, the hero wanted to open a new division in the Academy. Technically, there was little that he could do to obstruct the process since the kingdom was going to back the project, but Torsten was stubborn about the control the Arcan family had on the Academy. Allowing the hero to control their division without his oversight could let the royal family more directly influence the Academy’s curriculum.
Already the prince, through the king officially, had raised the standards for Academy graduation since he had graduated himself, much to Torsten’s irritation. Though Torsten had to admit that the quality of graduates had improved overall, he was irritated that it was not he who recognized the issue.
Ultimately, Torsten wanted to make the Academy the best it could be. Having the hero’s project under his guidance would catapult the Academy into international acclaim. It was something he had to have.
Additionally, Torsten saw the potential of the hero to serve as queen for the country. Her rejection of an engagement to the prince was a shocking move. Although she had not said so directly, Torsten and other Nationalists saw it as a rejection of the royal family. While that detail bothered Torsten to a degree, especially as she was coming with the prince today, it also meant that he might have the greatest ability to persuade the hero to their faction.
It was a lot for him to have upon his shoulders, so he poured himself a sample of a rare liquor that he saved for special occasions.
“To the future of Sengar!” he toasted with no one.
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The carriage rattled over the stone streets between the palace and Academy, causing the occupants to sway slightly. It was almost deafeningly quiet within despite four people occupying the inside. It had been several days since Quinn and Wyen had slipped up about the intent of announcing an engagement. Rebecca still had not given a reply and, based on the reaction she was currently expressing, seemed unlikely to respond any time soon.
“Did you bring any materials you have to present to the Academy?” Wyen finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Huh? Oh, yes,” Rebecca replied.
“Good. Getting the Arcans on board with your idea for a… medical school, you called it?… will make things easier in the future. They are Nationalists, and are going to try and win you over,” Wyen stated.
“Right…”
The silence resumed just as awkward as before.
“I’ll do most of the talking, but if Torsten asks about anything detailed, you’ll have to answer things,” Quinn said.
Rebecca’s face brightened a shade just hearing Quinn’s voice. While Quinn understood why she was embarrassed, he could not help but find her cute at this moment. That weird lurch in his chest came on again, causing him to gasp in surprise and clutch at his chest.
“What’s wrong?” Wyen asked with concern.
“Nothing,” Quinn said.
Rebecca lunged across the carriage, grabbing Quinn’s wrist. The surprise of her actions caused everyone else concern.
“Pulse stable. Any nausea? Lightheadedness? Trouble breathing?”
“What?” Quinn stammered, “No.”
“Any other unusual pains anywhere?”
“No. What is this about?”
Whatever shyness that had engulfed her just a moment ago was gone. The intensity of her gaze and tone told them she was concerned about something.
“Chest pains are an early sign of a heart attack. You are young to conventionally be at risk for one, but it’s not impossible,” Rebecca answered.
“What does it do?” Wyen asked.
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Rebecca sat back down since she clearly had finished her quick analysis. She was silent for a moment.
“You know how if you get a cut on your finger it heals in time, but there may be a scar? It’s something like that. And while the heart is strong, it is delicate. Too much damage causes it to stop, which you know. Heart attacks deal the damage directly to the heart without a lot, if any, warning.”
“So it is survivable?” Quinn asked.
“Mostly. If the damage is too much, it’ll still kill you. But with the first one you might survive. You’ll have a weaker heart afterwards, but you’ll live.”
“So there isn’t much we can do?”
“There are preventative steps to reduce the chances, but you can’t eliminate them all.”
“Oh,” Quinn said.
He was astounded in a way. Rebecca was capable of treating illnesses before they happened, and even illnesses that he had never heard of before. Quinn was left to marvel and wonder at just how much information was locked inside her head.
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Torsten was prepared for something amazing coming from a hero, but he was blown away by the proposed plan that Rebecca, with the prince’s backing, put forth. There was a multiple page report on the failures and shortcomings within the existing system of physicians, alchemists, and apothecaries. It even had some information on healers in it. There was also the rough outline for a formal licensure program and the education and tests required to obtain it and maintain it. Most of the program’s elements went over his head in their complex explanations.
However, there was something that had stuck out in Rebecca’s plan that Torsten had, on principle as the Head of the Academy, to object to. Her plan laid out two entire buildings towards the project. The first was a study hall, which was similar to what the Royal Academy used already, but included laboratories and training setups. The second building was what she called a hospital, where those in learning would carry out practical training.
“This will strain the Academy. And how will the professors teach any of this?” Torsten asked.
“Since your professors likely have little to no skills that Lady Rebecca already seeks, they won’t be involved,” Quinn replied.
“Then what purpose is it to attach the Academy’s reputation to this endeavor, Your Highness? Our system of physicians can improve simply by studying under Lady Rebecca.”
“That will not work,” Rebecca interjected, “I have already had multiple run-ins with physicians that have sought to shut down my methods. I need those open minded people who can learn a great deal quickly so they can help train more doctors. I do not need those that will stand in my way. This system I have proposed will work because I will make it work. This is what I am going to do here.”
Quinn, Wyen, and Torsten were looking at Rebecca with a slight awe as different thoughts raced through each mind.
“Attaching the Academy’s name will legitimize the system that she is going to work towards in everyone’s mind. The Academy carries a trust among the nobility and wealthy, knowledgeable commoners. Putting that trust in those that Rebecca trains will make everyone trust them. It will inspire the people,” Quinn said.
Torsten remained silent, thinking it over. If Rebecca was allowed to carry things out this way, while what Quinn said was true, he would have little control, if any, over Rebecca’s medical school. Torsten had to admit that Quinn had thwarted any attempts he could make to gain an advantage over Rebecca by having her display her talent and commitment. The only way that Torsten, and by extension the Nationalists, could approach Rebecca would be as subservients rather than equals. This did not dissuade him, of course, and only strengthened the resolve that Rebecca should be put on the throne instead of Quinn. Getting her to agree was going to be tricky with the resolve she showed about this doctor thing.
“I see. The trust of the people will matter in implementing this in time. The Royal Academy shall open its arms to this medical school. In the meantime, Lady Rebecca, I hope that we can meet to discuss many of the finer details that will go into this school.”
“Of course we can arrange such meetings to occur. Please send word to the palace when you require such meetings,” Quinn injected.
Torsten frowned internally, but kept a slight smile on his face. It would be difficult to discuss Nationalist ideas under supervision.
“Naturally, Your Highness,” Torsten said with a bow.
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“That went a lot smoother than I expected,” Quinn said on the way back to the palace.
“He was trying though,” Wyen commented.
“Trying what exactly?” Rebecca asked.
“You remember every time he tried to get you to speak about things that weren’t specific to your plan? It was to search for information on how you felt about us. Then he tried to put you under his thumb at the Academy, and arrange for meetings. That was all to give him a reason to speak to you about things not related to the school,” Quinn answered.
“You gathered all that from a conversation about my medical school?”
“There are a lot of things that get discussed in subtlety when dealing with nobility. I can’t fault you for missing it though, since you aren’t a noble yourself.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Rebecca said.
“Of course,” he replied.
The rest of the trip back to the palace was quiet, though unlike before it was not due to the awkward atmosphere. Instead everyone was simply exhausted by the lengthy discussion they had that morning with Torsten Arcan. Upon disembarking from the carriage, Fang got Rebecca’s attention.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“Sure. What is it?” she asked.
“Is there anything I can do for Quinn if one of those heart attack things happens to him?”
She smiled at him, as his concern for his friend was apparent.
“Let me know as soon as possible and I’ll do what I can to minimize the damage, Fang. Without training like I have, there isn’t much. Even I can’t fix it entirely… I think.”
Rebecca suddenly zoned out, thinking about whatever it was that Fang’s inquiry had brought to mind. Fang was left unsure of what to do, so he just waited as she murmured to herself.
“Um, Rebecca?” he finally said.
“Oh, sorry. Yes?”
“For what it’s worth, Quinn’s not such a bad guy really. He does care about you in his weird way.”
Rebecca smiled again.
“I get that, but his method of caring isn’t so much out of love. I want that kind of thing. The way I see it, he wants to utilize me for other reasons, some of which I can get behind right now and others I can’t. If his reason is love, then he wouldn’t be acting like he is. I’m not a trophy.”
Fang understood. What he lacked in learned intelligence, he made up for with interpersonal intelligence. He could empathize better than Wyen and Quinn could, since they tended to look at situations solely through logic.
“Okay. Well, please give him a chance,” Fang said as he left.
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Quinn was again in shock.
“Three months?” he asked.
“Three months,” Wyen nodded.
“How? No construction project of that size should take that short of a period.”
“He hired a larger than usual number of mages who are skilled in earth manipulation.”
“Of course he did. The Arcans won’t stop trying to get to her,” Quinn lamented.