Bastile: Chapter 2 (Patreon)

A/N: This post was previously mistakenly labeled chapter 3. The new (correctly labeled) chapter 3 is now posted on my patreon as well.

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I sat down at my new desk with a sigh.

Really, I had half a mind to strangle Prince Jared for proposing to me at my debut. The rumors and gossip had run absolutely wild, and my first day at the academy, instead of allowing me to get settled in and read to deal with my studies and other actually important things, was instead filled with thrice the normal number of bootlickers and sycophants.

Would that I could just ignore mother’s training and brush them off. But even if I was willing to disappoint Duchess Clais—and I was not—every enterprise needed toadies to grease the wheels and spin the gears.

Especially in this half-feudal society.

If I was to be queen, and be responsible for not only the people of my duchy, but the entire kingdom at large, I’d need the help of these brown-nosing little noblettes sooner or later.

“Here you go, Kat.”

I sighed again, this time with relief, as Keith slid a cup of tea across the wood towards me.

I smiled up at him, sipping at the tea slowly. It was a struggle to hold back a groan as the warmth from the tea slowly diffused through me. I’d loved tea in my last life, but this world had put years of effort and magical ability into cultivating tea leaves. Really, the flavor just bordered on divine.

All of my maids, and my younger brother besides, could finish steeping my favorite blends almost before I thought to ask for them. Really, it made me feel almost decadent.

Instead of dwelling on how soft this life had made me, I reached out and took my brother’s hand. “What would I do without you?”

“All that you’ve already accomplished and more, no doubt.” He shrugged, but I could see the smile tugging at his lips. Keith was always weak to praise.

“Every wicked sorceress needs a devoted assistant.” My lips curled into a smirk. “You’d make an excellent footstool, if nothing else.”

Keith coughed, half doubling over. “Sister dear… please don’t joke about such things.”

“You’re too sensitive.” I waved a hand. “We’re family after all.”

He made a sound low in his chest, almost like he was choking.

I frowned. “Are you alright.”

“I’m fine.” Keith pressed a hand to his chest. “I never knew you could be so cruel, Kat…”

I raised an eyebrow. “If I was being cruel, you’d know, brother dear.”

“Oh, believe me, I do.” He chuckled. “Katarina’s tongue can cut a man as deeply as any knife.”

I rolled my eyes. So I’ve cultivated a reputation for putting imbeciles in their place. What of it? I didn’t have time to waste on little boys thinking they could steal away the daughter of the Claes Heiress with a few flowers and pretty words.

I wasn’t even that enthused with prince Jared. He was barely more than a child as far as I was concerned after all.

“I suddenly feel upset for some reason…” Keith muttered.

I glanced up. “Hm? What was that.”

He but he just smiled at me, shutting his eyes. “Sister, were you thinking about prince Jared right now?”

I felt a drop of sweat run down the back of my neck. Sibling sense was scary!

“And what if I was?”

He rested his fingers on the bridge of his nose. “Kat, weren’t you the one who said you were too busy for romance?”

“I am!” I said, frowning up at him. “Price Jared is a… valuable political ally, especially now that he’s set to inherit the throne…”

I quirked my lip at that. I’d thought Third Prince meant third in line to the throne. In actuality, the king just had two brothers, who were the first and second prince. Technically speaking there could even have been some contention for first in line to the throne, based on Sorcier’s laws.

But of course, the King’s eldest brother performed the traditional renunciation of any claim to the throne when Jared had been named heir apparent.

And here I thought Villain politics were complicated.

I never thought I’d miss the days where I could just go punch the other guy in the face to make him shut up…

“Kat, you’re getting distracted again.”

“Mmm.” I shook my head. “Just thinking.” About if I could see myself fulfilling my future… duties, as misogynistic as it was, without feeling like a Pedophile.

There was a sharp crack.

My head snapped up. “Keith?”

“Nothing.” He shook a hand. “I just… stepped on one of the floorboards wrong.”

I blinked slowly as he pushed the broken handle of a broom behind him with one foot. Do you think I’m blind, Keith?

After a moment’s thought, I decided I wanted nothing to do with that, and turned back to my tea instead.

“Oh, Keith.” Reaching out, I unerringly ruffled his light brown hair. As he flinched back I added, “Somedays, it’s like you’re the same little boy I met all those years ago.”

I resolutely sipped my tea as my younger brother fell to the floor with a crash.

Somethings, you just have to let children figure out for themselves. If I spent all my hours mothering him like I used to, I wouldn’t have the chance to get anything done. I sighed.

If only Mother had been more accepting. Certainly, she hadn’t hated him, but displays of affection were reserved for me alone.

I still remembered when he said ‘It’s okay as long as I have you, Kat!’

My little brother really was the most adorable younger sibling in the world. Even counting Sophia Ascarte!

Keith slowly pushed himself back to his feet as I finished my tea with a satisfied smile. Just in time too.

Anne knocked at the door to my study. “My lady, your guests are here.”

I smirked. Truly, I loved it when a plan went off without a hitch. “Send them in!”

The door practically flew open as Mary Hunt and Sophia Ascarte entered the room.

Mary, the brunette little wallflower, had truly blossomed. She had an hourglass figure and a vivacious personality so large that at times I completely forgot what a timid thing she’d been. “Kat! There you are.”

I laughed, case in point, as I stood up and embraced her. “Mary. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to catch up with you when I got here.”

She just held me tighter. “It’s nothing to worry about. You had to fend off… that man no doubt.”

I gave an uneasy smile at the dark look on her face. “Mary, that man is a prince of the realm.”

“Prince smince.” She flicked her hand, looking up at me with sparkling brown eyes. “I wouldn’t let a king, no, even an emperor couldn’t come between us.”

I bit my tongue. Mary’s interest in me… okay, I’ll admit it. It was very flattering.

Even if I was totally straight.

She was gorgeous in that cream-colored dress though, with the low-cut décolletage revealing a slice of full breasts that made even me jealous. Getting fitted for new gowns with her was always an exploration of feminine beauty.

She’d make her fiancé prince Alan very happy one day, no doubt.

“I value every moment of your time,” I said. And that was certainly true. She was a joy to be around, and simply gave the best hugs by an impassable margin.

I’m sorry, Keith, but while I appreciate your solid presence, your embrace simply couldn’t compare to the soft, floral scented hugs that Mary could serve up on command.

As if to prove my point Mary pulled me back into another hug, and I couldn’t stop the small breath of contentment.

Still, there were things to do, even if I could spend—and had spent—days resting against Mary’s shoulder. The girl was just so plush and cuddleable that I couldn’t bear not to hug her.

It was hardly anything untoward!

With another smile, I stepped past her and greeted Sophia as well. “Thank you for coming, Sophie.”

She smiled, hands folded in front of her. “I missed you too, Katarina.”

I chuckled, drawing her into a quick hug before pulling her over to the settee where Keith had already set up the tea service. “And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Kat?”

She blushed, clasping my hands as she sat next to my side. Mary quickly claimed the other. “I could never. You’ve been so kind to me, Lady Katarina.”

I could only give the petite girl a small smile, petting her snow-white hair gently. “I only did what anyone with half a brain would do.”

Sophie’s ruby eyes twinkled. “Well, I didn’t say it.”

“Sophie!” Mary hid a smile behind her hand. “You can’t just call the peerage brainless.”

I smirked. If Mary had blossomed into a beautiful flower, Sophia hadn’t grown out of her meek, delicate demeanor. Instead she’d developed a quiet confidence and—when the moment called for it—an acerbic tongue.

“Why not?” Keith asked. “She’d only be telling the truth.”

I laughed along with my friends. Keith hadn’t forgotten his humble roots. Some days, I wondered if I already had. There was just so much to do. It was so easy to collapse everything down into numbers, into successes and failures, areas worth additional funding and ones that had performed below expectations.

It was difficult to remember the lives behind the numbers.

“So how are your projects going?”

I smiled at Mary’s question, coming back to the moment. “There were some trade guilds giving us some trouble over the first watermill, but no mage is ever unhappy to have more free time.”

“That’s true!” Mary nodded her head. “I was so surprised when I realized that most mages end up running enterprises.”

“Well, it makes sense doesn’t it?” Sophia folded her hands in her lap. “There are only so many titles, and not every child can inherit.” The corner of her lips curled up slightly. “If Nicholas was not already being groomed to become Chancellor, I would also be looking for a husband.”

I gave a quiet laugh at that, only to realize that the mood of the room had suddenly plummeted. I covered my gaff by taking a sip of my tea.

Across from me, Keith had a shadowed expression on his face, and I swore I heard porcelain crack in Mary’s grip. Even sweet little Sophia seemed… upset.

I gingerly set my cup back down on its saucer. “In any case, also wanted to talk to you about our celebration inaugurating the new student council.”

I very carefully didn’t react as everyone was suddenly smiling again like nothing had happened.

How stupid do you all think I am?!?

I admit I’d cultivated an image of a somewhat scatterbrained genius, but I didn’t expect my real friends to fall for it! That was just so people would brush off my anachronisms as fanciful idiosyncrasies.

“Oh, are we going to use the flower bunting again?” Mary leaned forward, resting her hands on mine. “It turned out so much better than I thought it would, last time.”

I held back a sigh. “I told you it would.” I smiled. “And I think so, perhaps with some wreaths as well? I’ll leave the details to you, really I can’t hold a candle to your arrangements.”

Mary laughed, hugging me before pulling back. “It’s only because you pushed me to explore it! If not, I’d never have had the confidence to take so much as a single planter from my garden.”

“It makes me wonder what other plans you have going on,” Sophia said. She rested her head against my other shoulder. “Planning a simple inauguration ceremony is hardly what’s taking up so much of your time.”

No, that would be my recent engagement to Prince Jared, as every family waiting in the wings had now swept in to curry favor.

For some reason, I didn’t think that excuse would go over well with this crowd.

“It’s difficult, coming up with things that will have a positive impact on society, that isn’t just accomplished better and faster by a mage.”

The printing press was one such proof of concept that was sitting in the Claes manor as a glorified show piece. There were multiple spells that copied text to a blank book—multiple books at once even. Skilled water mages could even capture dictation with ink, printing it onto paper with but an effort of will.

A printing press would be a minor improvement at best, as opposed to cotton mills and the like, which allowed for an incredibly large volume of fabric to be spun, whereas magic had thus far been mostly focused on dyes.

There was a reason my gowns were so colorful.

Right now, I was trying to come up with some workable sort of steam engine. But as a high school dropout, the specifics were slow going.

It wasn’t as if I had access to Wikipedia and a complete history of inventions that revolutionized human society to peruse.

“Ah, we’ve lost her again.” Keith chuckled. “But really, Kat. Why are you so sure you’ll end up in the student council at all? You’ve barely studied for the exams.”

I waved a hand. “We’ll have a few weeks of classes to prepare. I’m hardly worried.”

***

Three weeks later, I found myself staring at the results of the first set of exams.

7—Katarina Claes.

The student council, it should be noted, was made up of the six highest scoring students.

“Well.” I folded my arms over my chest, ignoring the sudden gap in the crowd that had appeared around me. “That is most… unfortunate.”