"Wow! Our young lady was so cool today." Said a maid as she changed the dressing on Lilliana's wounds.
Lilliana who had been in bed ever since the incident was not left out of the usual gossip from the maids so she was filled in with what most recently occurred; the Bush family's doom.
"Seriously? She did all that to them? I thought lady Briar was her best friend."
"I don't blame you for doubting. I was there and I still can't believe it. The Bush family got what was coming their way for always bulling our young lady. Good for them!"
Most of the servants were shocked of what had been transpiring in the house of Aurora of late.
"First, standing up for a maid then trying to slim down and taking over the ledger accounts of the house and all its businesses. Now this? What is wrong with our young miss?" Lilliana asked and the other maid felt like she had a point.
"Well, whatever. As long as it doesn't harm our lady there is no problem whatsoever. I like this change in her." The maid said while smiling, finishing up the dressing.
The worry on Lilliana's mind was the same on every other servants' mind except Bentley. He was very happy with the change that Sage had had and he couldn't wait to tell the Duke who was on a mission.
"Hmm, maybe I should just leave it be. It would be better as a surprise."
He said as he cleared out a room. He had been planning to send him a letter but he decided against it.
Sage had asked that the whole castle be cleaned in preparation of the Duke's return as they had received word of his return and he was clearing one of the many rooms that had been closed off simply because Sage never liked them.
As Bentley cleaned, he noticed a covered portrait and pulled off its drapes only for it to be the late duchess' photo with the rest of the family.
"Oh my goodness! I thought I would never find this portrait." He gasped.
It was the only portrait that the Aurora family had had together before the duchess' untimely death.
"I should give this to the young miss. She would know what to do with it." He thought as he dusted it. He remembered everything that had happened in the last few hours.
FLASH BACK
"Grandpa butler, I have come to a decision." Sage declared as she dealt with some documents in the Duke's office.
Her own personal office was still being fixed so she had decided to use her father's and understand a little bit more of the duchy and her father in the meantime.
"And what would that be, young miss?" Bentley asked as he saw Sage quickly balance a budget she had made for a new business. He was proud of the change was making as it was positive and it was doing her some good.
"I have a list of things I want to do before father returns. Here's the list. You will be my right hand and the person acting in my place." Sage said as she gave Bentley a list.
Perusing through, he was shocked when he saw the contents!
"A secret guard, an assassin squad, a few businesses, an information guild! Young miss, what do you plan on doing?" Bentley said through his shock.
Not even the Duke had thought of these yet here was the nineteen-year-old young miss planning to hold the sky in one hand! When did she get so gutsy?!
"I looked around for some information and found that our duchy is the most feared yet the weakest in all the four duchies. I want to change that. It will be father and brother's welcome home gift." She said with a smirk and Bentley almost shed tears.
"Of course, young miss."
*
Back to his young miss, Sage was currently in her room after a run. She had decided to take matters into her own hands and restore her reputation starting with the Aurora castle and then her looks.
'If only I knew the story line of this romance! Wait, Sage's memories!
But what they show is different from what Moriah has told me. Oh, that pesky Moriah. Moriah, Moriah, Moriah, if I get my little paws on you, you are so screwed!' Sage thought as she lay on her bed after her bath.
Compared to when she had just transmigrated a few weeks ago, there was now an obvious difference in her physique as even her double chin was receding. As Sage was lost in thought, Moriah materialized in thin air with great fanfare.
"Heeelllllloooooo my lovelies." He cried as he floated about.
Sage was shocked when she had the scream but as soon as she calmed down, she grabbed hold of what seemed to be Moriah's tail… or legs?
"You pesky little liar, you. Now I have you! How dare you lie?!" She exclaimed at the god who tried to wiggle his way out of her clutch.
"Huh? You? You summoned me?" Moriah screeched when he realized that it was Sage who had summoned him to the human realm. And yet he was trying to avoid her!
"Yes, I summoned you! Now explain why you lied!" Sage screeched while Moriah tried to wiggle out of her clutches again. He wasn't going to tell her the truth!
"Don't want to say, huh? Fine!" Sage said and Moriah thought that she would let him go. But he was mistaken, gravely mistaken. Instead, Sage hit his head with a heavy book that shocked him! He was a god! Who would dare to treat a god like this?!
"You… how could you hit me with that heavy book? It hurts and I am a god!" Moriah said as he rubbed his head where a bump was growing.
"Hurt? Hurt? It had better! You little liar!" Sage spat and Moriah knew that she had realized what was wrong so he stopped trying to run away.
"So, you finally saw your predicament, huh? Tell me, why did you lie? I was summoned here but you made it look like you brought me here! Why?" Sage said and Moriah kept quiet like he didn't want to say.
Sage raised her book and banged his head again which shocked him.
"You have guts for a human. Aren't you afraid that I will report you to the supreme god and ruin your entire family down to the tenth generation?" Moriah asked as his face morphed into an ugly and scary one, trying to scare Sage into letting him go.
But Sage is cut of a different cloth! Such things didn't scare her at all.
"Are you trying to entertain me? If not, then don't make such faces. It's too boring." She said and Moriah gave up. She was too tough.
"And a supreme god? I don't care. After all, you guys have laws so I am sure they would punish you for not doing your job right before they even think of punishing me!" Sage added and Moriah was now scared. Sage was just too smart for her own good.
"Ok, what do you want?" Moriah asked in a calm voice ready to bargain and Sage sighed. Her poor body had just gone through a workout and the tugging was tiring her out fast.
"Tell me, why did you say that you brought me here and yet Sage's memories show that she summoned me here. What is going on?" Sage asked as it baffled her. With her knowledge of transmigration, Sage knew that summoning never happened unless…
"I am dead, aren't I?" she said in a low whisper as soon as realization suck in.
Moriah was shocked that the lady could figure it out on her own.
"Yes, you died. To be exact, you were killed with a poison gas." Moriah said and Sage started to piece everything together. She had an idea of who had killed her but she decided to leave it at that.
She slowly walked to her book and picked it up before she sat by her bed and decided to read her book in peace. Moriah was shocked by her silence and thought that it was grief from the betrayal of someone close to her. But when he saw that she was not even crying, he was dumbfounded.
"Aren't you going to ask who it was or any details?" Moriah asked the now busy Sage.
"Why bother? It's not like I can change anything by knowing who did it but knowing why I am here can help me decide my next move. Besides, I have already accepted things as they are so, it's no biggie." Sage said as she turned a page.
Moriah looked at Sage and felt that she was very sensible and smart. He felt that the old Sage would be happy wherever she was as someone with a brain had taken over for her.
"Since you are so sensible and know to look at the bigger picture, I am going to give you a gift, anything you would like." Moriah said.
"Anything? Hmm, just leave me a list of the major events in this story and the story line. That would be all." Sage said as she perused through the thick texts. Moriah was once again shocked at her request.
'Not money or wisdom or wealth but information? Interesting! Information is power.' He thought as a paper appeared in front of Sage having what she asked for.
"This contains all the major events and the plot line. If something changes or has passed, a line will magically appear on it as a strike out." Moriah said and Sage felt that this gift was very powerful.
"Make sure that none of the main characters sees this list as that makes it possible for anyone to change it as they please." Moriah warned and Sage nodded.
"Thanks." She said as a smile bloomed on her face leaving Moriah stunned. Her face had slimmed down a bit and her natural beauty shone through making Moriah almost have a nose bleed. Giving half-hearted goodbyes, he quickly disappeared leaving Sage shocked.
"Young miss, may I come in?"
Sage didn't have much time to be shocked as Bentley's voice floated into the room and she quickly hid the paper that Moriah had given her.
"Come in, grandpa Butler." She said as she settled into a simple couch in her room.
Bentley entered with the portrait along with some servants. The portrait was still covered and after the servants placed it close to the wall, they left leaving only Bentley and Sage
"Young miss, I found a family portrait, where do you think I should put it?" he asked as he took of the draping on the portrait. He gauged her reaction as he saw her eyes widen.
Sage looked at the portrait and was stunned with what she saw. It was a happy family filled with only beauties!
The lady sat in the center while holding a little baby who Sage presumed to be her while a little boy stood next to her. A man with flaming red hair stood behind them all with a wide smile on his face and he really looked happy.
The lady had white hair, just like hers and she was a delicate beauty with big grey eyes that the little boy had inherited. He had red hair like his father and his phoenix shaped eyes seemed to spell mischief though
he was very handsome. Sage looked at the little baby that sat in her mother's lap and she was pretty. White hair like her mother with blood red eyes like her father.
"Family." Sage whispered and Bentley became flustered.
"Young miss, here." He said as he offered her a hanky to wipe her eyes.
Sage hadn't even realized that she was crying and after Bentley handed her a handkerchief, she bawled her eyes out.
*
"Here you go, young miss. You mustn't cry so much." Bentley said as he offered her a cup of hot chocolate which made Sage smile.
They were in her room and the portrait still lay there though it was now covered up. Sage smiled as she felt that she cried for two reasons.
One, the original Sage's emotions and two, her own longing for a family. Bentley and Sage settled into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts until someone came shouting from outside the castle gates. It was so loud that everyone in the castle heard it.
Bentley and Sage rushed downstairs when they had the shout and immediately saw that it was a messenger bearing their flag.
"What is wrong?" Sage asked and the man walked to her and bowed down.
"Young miss, this is a message from his grace. He says that he can't come like he said he would as he is caught up with work for his majesty the king. He says that you should take care of the duchy in his stead and do as you see fit." He answered and Sage went silent, disappointed.
She had wanted to see her father and brother but it seemed that fate other plans. Gathering herself, she decided to put her plans into action.
"Thank you for delivering the message." She told the man and he was shocked as he heard rumors of the little tyrant of the Flit duchy.
"Bentley, get him a place to rest before he leaves and call all the workers of the duchy to the main dining room in the east wing of the castle. It seems somethings have to be addressed." Sage ordered and Bentley got to work.
Shortly after, all the workers of the duchy, young and old, from the kitchen to the stables, the knights and the guards, they all assembled in the dining hall and waited for their young miss.
"This is strange. You don't think she is going to fire us?" said one.
"Don't be ridiculous. She called us her people. She would not fire us." Replied a maid who was present when Briar had come to make a fuss.
"Don't speak ill of your master." Came a voice that held power to it and the whole room was silenced by it.
It was Cadmail Fowler, the captain and commander of the duchy's knights. He was a man of few words and had a scary aura but he took his job seriously. He was feared in the duchy and beyond. When the other servants had him talk, they all kept their mum.
Sage entered the room and all eyes were trained on her as she had never called for such a meeting.
"Wow! We have a lot of workers." Sage said behind a chuckle and most people heard it. They couldn't help but worry for their jobs. Bentley just chuckled a long as he had long gotten used to his young miss's strange sense of humor.
"I called you all here as it seems that my brother and father will be away for a long time in the near future. So, we must address anything that seems to be disturbing you so that we can live and work together peacefully." She said a she gazed at the workers.
They were shocked as they were used to being order around but Sage's words sounded more like a request. Even with this, they still kept their silence.
"I will go first. Young miss, I wish we had a lot more portions. Most of
the workers are young people who have yet to fully mature so I wish they would get the necessary nutrition for their bodies." Bentley said shocking all those around, even Cadmail.
They half expected Sage to lash out at him like she would usually do but to their surprise. She held her chin and nodded like she was seriously considering it.
"We should get land that we can use to farm food specifically for our consumption. Not only do we cut back costs but everyone gets to eat as much as they want. Is that not right, Andrew?" Sage asked and Andrew nodded.
"Miss, what of our health? We usually go to the town doctor for treatment and he goes hard on us because work here, charging us even higher. What should we do?" Lilliana said as she gritted her teeth in the end. She didn't know what would happen but she decided to try and reason with their young miss for help.
"Oh, does that does he? Hmm, Andrew. Please look into that guy and have him chased from the duchy. Maybe we can even employ someone from the capital." Sage said as Andrew noted everything down.
Slowly by slowly, the servants all voiced their concerns and Sage listened to all of them attentively offering a solution where necessary and discussing with them for what to do next.
"His grace and the young master aren't going to be around. What plans do you have for the duchy?" Cadmail asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
Cadmail wasn't making things hard for Sage. It's just that he felt that nothing she was saying was her own doing. It felt like Bentley and Andrew were giving her answers.
Sage looked at the older man and nodded to herself. This was the question that she was looking for.
"It is no hidden secret that our duchy lacks power. So much so that even a Count's family thinks they can do anything here." She paused and she looked around to see everyone nodding along.
"I suggest that we impose a lock down on our castle. No one is allowed in or out." She said and there was an uproar. A lockdown? They wouldn't allow it!
"Here me out. During this lock down, we shall slowly build our power until my father and brother return home."
"But what of our families? What of the businesses of the duchy?"
"I didn't say that they wouldn't be handled. I plan on growing our power during that lockdown as most people will think that we were hiding. They will never see us coming." Sage said but people had their reservations.
"I know I haven't been the best young miss you would wish to serve nor the best person but I beg you all for a chance. Let me show you what it means to be an Aurora."
They could feel it, they could feel how much Sage had changed and they were willing to try and follow her along.
"What of our families? What shall we do for them?" one asked and the others nodded.
"Bring them. The castle could use a bit of liveliness. We can slowly fix your lodgings in the future." Sage said and the people were convinced.
Cadmail nodded his head. She was now a real Aurora.
From that day on, the castle was under a lockdown and no one could enter or get out. The news spread like wild fire and many coyotes and foxes were happy that the Aurora family was finally losing its power. If only they knew what was happening in the shadows, then they would know that a storm was about to hit Wyden kingdom and take them all by surprise.