I suddenly felt quite small in the presence of all these men in their fancy clothes and their stern unimpressed looks. All of the board members, which consisted of about twenty people, were siting around one large circle table. I could see my frightened expression reflected in the polished wood, I knew it was silly of me to be nervous but I couldn't help it. What made it even worse that both prince Geoffrey and prince Kristopher had also come to watch my little presentation, ontop of Alucard and Sinjin.
"Gooday everybody and greetings to your highnesses." Started Lord Umfrey. "Today I have called a this meeting to review a new healing potion that Lady Riley has created. Please hear her out well, she is a very talented Mage and a memeber of the society, I for one expect great things from her." Said Lord Umfrey as he rubbed his pot belly and patted me on the back like a proud uncle would.
I took in a deep breath and was about to begin presenting, but before I could even start talking, one of the board members seated around the table interrupted me.
"A healing potion... How does it differ from the current ones on the market?" He asked abruptly.
"Well, it's..." I began but I got cut off again by another man.
"And just how were you able to make it? You have only been studying magic for a few weeks... is the product even safe to consume?"
I tried to answer him but another man spoke up again.
"I concur, can we really trust the validity of this product... On top of being a new mage, she is only a woman, and women are known to be less knowledgable than men when it comes to the study of magic."
"Even if the potion does work, it will probably be too expensive to sell, just like the other ones."
Before I could get a word in, the room erupted into conversation between the board members about how I was too young and too naive to have created a product of any worth. That I was simply an overzealous individual who had overstepped my bounds. That I was relying on the kindness of the Marcellus's to make my way in the world...
I was furious. They hadn't even given me a chance to speak before rudely judging me relying on their own prejudiced misconcpetions of me. I would show them.
<——————————<<<<
Prince Geoffrey watched as the room melted away into chaos. The pompous old geezers in the board room were far too old and prejudiced to be seated here and making decisions about the future of Girannon, the prince decided that he would have to have a talk to his father about removing some of them from the board.
He watched as his little healer's face became more and more flustered as she tried to answer their questions, but just as soon as she began talking she would be cut off. Until finally the room was lost to her. However, the prince saw the light of fire in her eyes, a determination that he had not seen in many people. He watched as his little healer reached into her tied up hair and slid out a crystal hair pin, as she did this, her long hair cascaded from its updo and fell down her back like a black waterfall. He noticed that some order returned to the room as she did this, perhaps all the others were mesmerised by her, just as he had been. He watched curiously as she brought the hair pin up to her arm, he wondered at what she was doing, he was truly shocked at what she did next.
Riley took the sliver pin, and in one swift move, sliced deeply into her arm. The pain was terrible and made her bite down on her lip hard, and she revolted at the sight of her own blood, but she didin't regret it.
She heard the men around the table gasp in shock, finally she had gotten their attention. They stared at her in complete bewilderment. While she had them all focused, she picked up the bottle of potion that she brought with her and took a sip. She held out her arm for everbody to see as the potion worked its magic and healed her in a matter of seconds. The wound on her arm was gone and all that was left was a bit of redness where the cut had been.
For a moment there was silence, the board members were all still very shaken up to see a lady cut herself and then have the wound healed in a matter of seconds by a potion, and what an incredible potion, far better than any potion they had ever seen, even the most expesive elixirs that the Royal family possessed. When lady Riley began to talk they all listened intently.
"Now that I have your attention," She commented sourly, "this potion is able to heal broken bones and flesh wounds, it also able to take away the a person's pain as it is consumed. The healing potion is red on account of the products I used, which I promise do not conain anything harmful, as you can see there are no after affects." She motioned to herself to prove to them that she was completely fine after drinking it.
"Moreover, this potion is not expensive to produce, it's actually made at the same price of the current potion being sold, which brings me to my last point, I am here today because I would like permission to start selling the potion, which I would like to sell cheaply so that even poorer commoners would be able to purchase it."
<————————-<<<<
Finished with my speech, I placed the potion back onto the table and asked, "Are there any questions?"
I was so proud of myself, in the face of adversity I had stepped up, I had flourished even. I had shown this room filled with prejudiced old boomers who was boss, me, Riley Delton.
I was snapped out of my self congratulatory thoughts when a smooth smoky voice asked, "Why do you want to sell the potions at a low price?" I looked up to see Prince Geoffrey was the one who had asked.
"Your Highness," I curtseyed before I replied, "Although Girannon is a wonderful kingdom, its health care is subpar. Only very small injuries can be healed by the potions on the market right now, and when people need more serious injuries to be healed, the price to pay for the correct potions or for the assistance of healing mages are extremely high, which results in commoners not being able to afford any help. So I think a cheaper alternative like my potion would really help this country." I finished off, hoping that I hadn't offended him.
I couldn't help but stare at his beautiful golden hair or into his fiery golden eyes, they were stunning. For a moment our eyes caught each other and I was suddenly very aware of my body and I wondered if I looked pretty or not and I wondered if he thought I was pretty or not, but most of all I felt my heart beat in my chest, a slow rhythm but deafening in my ears.
"What ingredients did you use to make this potion?" Asked a sly looking blonde man as he leaned forward onto his chair.
However, his questioning was sharply cut off by the Prince Geoffrey. "Nonsense. As long as the potion is not harmful, as we can see it is not, she is under no obligation to tell us the formula." His changed from smoky smoothness to ferocious power into an instant. Prince Geoffrey was truly terrifying and not just because of the way he made my heart race.
"My apologies your Highness." The man corrected himself immediately and sheepishly sunk back into his chair. It seemed other people also found the prince terrifying.
"As a representative of the Royal family and the Mage society, I grant you permission to sell your potions." He said, his voice back into that smoothness.
"Thank you your Highness." I curtseyed to him, smiling happily.
"However, do you have an alchemy lab big enough to produce this potion on a large scale, large enough to sell hundreds of viles a day?" He asked.
"No, I don't." I replied honestly.
"Then, I propose you go into business with the Royal family. We have factories where the potions can be produced and stores where they can be sold and we will only require twenty percent of the profits, you will get all the recognition and the fame for this healing breakthrough and we will adhere to selling this potion cheaply. What do you think Lady Riley?"
I'm not sure if it was his eyes or his voice that was hypnotizing me, all I knew was that the deal sounded very good, since they had a factory where the potion could be produced, the production and selling of the product could start as soon as possible. Also they would be providing me with factories and workers for only thirty percent. Besides, I wasn't really supposed to be concerned about profits and money, I was supposed to be solely concerned with helping people.
"That sounds very good." I nodded, accepting his offer.
He looked pleased. He then announced the end of the meeting and everybody got up and bowed to the princes' and then left, I was about leave but then I heard him call out, "Wait a moment Lady Riley."
Why did my name sound so different when he said it? The way he pronounced it made it sound like something special and unique.
He stood up from his chair and strode over to me. It was when he was standing a few feet from me that I realized the differences in our height. He over shadowed my 5ft 6inches dramatically.
"You've managed to create quite the extraordinary potion, far better than anything Arteria has seen before." He said looking down into my eyes. There was something intense about his eyes, something that made me feel like I was somehow completely exposed to them, they had an inexplicable compulsion to them. Could it be some kind of magic?
"Thank you." I said.
"How did you make it?" He asked with a subtle ferocious gleam in his eyes. I felt myself begin to break under the pressure of his eyes.
"I thought you said that I had the right to withhold how I made it, as long as it wasn't harmful..." I suggested reminding him of his earlier words.
A sultry smirk slid onto his lips, consequently my breathed hitched and I gulped.
"You do have those rights... but not from me." I shivered slightly at his reply. He was teasing me, but I could feel that his words were more than a joke.
We stood there for a few moments. Locked into a death match staring competition. I didn't know what it was but the longer I looked into his eyes, the weaker my resolve became. It was like I was slowly being chipped away at, piece by piece.
I reached for my bag and brought out the Aristian steal ball that I had enchanted with my dark Magic yesterday.
"I used this to create the potion." I said holding up the clump of steel. He gently took it from my hands, and turned it over in his long fingers, examining it.
"I cast it with dark magic, so that it would replicate my healing spell and disperse it into the ordinary healing potion when it is dipped into the potion, no matter the quantity, although for some reason the potion turns red when this happens..." I still wasn't sure why.
"You are truly gifted..." his eyes captured mine again, and I felt myself begin to sweat under them.
"We will start manufacturing the potion tomorrow and selling it in a weeks time. As for the price, the current low level everyday healing potions used for cuts and scrapes sell for five bronze coins which most people can afford, hence the price of this should be at least seven bronze coins since it is such a high quality."
I nodded in agreement.
"However when we sell it to neighboring countries, we will sell it for 5 silvers each." I frowned.
"Your joking... Why increase the price by so much?" I asked.
"Since they are not citizens of Girannon, they will not reap the benefits of being one." I was about to argue with him, but he gave me a look that told me not to question him, since he was the prince, I didn't want to overstep my bounds.
"I will hold onto the steal, so that the production can start tomorrow." He said he he pocketed the steel ball. "Enjoy the rest of your day Lady Riley." His hand suddenly reached out for my face and I was frozen in the spot, was he going to touch my face? Why was he going to touch my face? But then his fingers caught a strand of my loose hair that had come undone after I had pulled out the pin. He twirled it between his long slender fingers and I ended up looking into his mesmerizing eyes again.
"You hair is quite lovely when it's down like this."
Wordlessly he left the room, leaving me standing there still star struck.
In the carriage ride home, I told Bard everything that had happened. Bard who was just the sweetest old man ever was overjoyed and his face flushed a bright red as he smiled and gleefully sang a tune the rest of the way home.
When we got home, I went to go and tell all the others of the events that happened at the Mage Society head quarters, but I left the detail about how the Prince Geoffrey had swirled my hair between his fingers for only Agnes, Edna and Mellie's ears. You know, girl talk.
Mellie had squealed at every detail, while Edna had blushed softly. Agnes in the other hand had a more cautionary response to my story telling.
"Milady, He is Indeed a very handsome and charming young man, but I must warn you not to only follow your heart but to use your head when it comes to that prince. There have been many noble ladies who have fallen for the prince and in order to please him they sacrificed their innocence..." she said solemnly. Did she mean that they 'sacrificed' their virginity? Did this mean that sex before marriage was frowned upon here?
"And when they expected marriage from him, he simply refused, which ruined the reputation of many of the ladies. They remain forever tainted by the mistakes of their youth." She said sighing dramatically and looking out the window.
So it seemed that sexual relations outside of marriage was frowned upon for women and not for men. Strange world, not unlike my own I fortunately.
"Don't worry Agnes, I'll be careful." I said, trying to comfort her misconceptions of mine and the prince's relationship. How had him touching my hair turned into a lecture from her about not sleeping with him?
That night as I slept, I kept on having dreams about his golden eyes. Such beautiful eyes.
———————————————-
Please vote and comment 💕