At three in the afternoon, after finishing various errands, Rishe walked down the hall in the detached palace. Running into Oliver on the way, she asked where she could find Arnold. Learning he was in his office, she bid goodbye to Oliver, who was headed for the palace proper.
Rishe made her way to the office and knocked on the door. She waited for permission and entered the room to find Arnold surveying her with surprise.
"That was fast."
"It was more than enough time. Thank you, truly."
With his eyes, Arnold directed her to sit. Rishe slid into a chair on the right side of the office.
Arnold watched her, then looked down at his hands again. He picked up his pen and asked, "Are you satisfied?"
"Yes. I made things very clear with the professor."
After her morning training, Rishe had visited Michel. Everyone from Coyolles would be leaving first thing in the morning. This was their last full day in Galkhein, and Kyle was busy saying his goodbyes. For the mess he'd made, Michel had been confined to his quarters, but Arnold had a word with Kyle and Rishe had been admitted entry.
"If only you could take my head off and scoop out my knowledge." The first thing out of Michel's mouth had been that frankly terrifying comment. Even Rishe, who was used to his antics, was taken aback.
Rishe added honey to his tea, admonishing, "There's no way to do that, and there wouldn't be any point. 'Epiphanies come not from existing knowledge but from new experiences,' right?"
"You really know what you're talking about. I think you're a little too open-minded, though." Taking the too-sweet tea, Michel looked at the floor.
"I could make a bunch of chemicals for war, but I just don't think taking charge of Coyolles and Galkhein's joint research to make positive impact in the world is the right fit for me."
"Professor."
The night before, with Michel's permission, Rishe had told Arnold the truth about everything—about gunpowder and how Michel had wanted to use it, and that Michel likely felt he needed to repent for what he'd done. But Arnold had just said, "Michel Hévin's role will remain the same," with the usual uninterested expression on his face.
Michel, the one who had caused the commotion in the first place, didn't seem to agree. Rishe understood his feelings and tried to persuade him.
"You might not be satisfied, but any normal person would find this a particularly grueling task. I mean, there's royalty from two countries involved, and you'll need to constantly produce viable results. In your position, a normal person would crumble under the pressure."
"Hmm, you may be right. In that case, I suppose I do need to do what I can." His wording had been somewhat vapid but remarkable nonetheless.
In all her time as an alchemist, Rishe had never seen Michel pledge himself to something.
"I'm not used to this, but I'll do my best. I've never done research with the goal of improving the world."
"I'm really looking forward to seeing what your new state of mind allows you to come up with." Rishe said, dead serious, and Michel giggled in amusement. But he looked happy too.
It was Rishe's first time seeing him laugh that way.
Michel tucked his hair behind his ear and cast his eyes down again, muttering, "I wanted to apologize for what I said to you the other day. When I said you weren't suited to being an empress."
Rishe had forgotten about that completely. "I don't think you were wrong."
"No, I think you really are suited for it. But I still think it's too bad."
His violet eyes softened. "You don't regret spending your life as Arnold Hein's bride?"
"I don't, Professor." Rishe said plainly.
Come to think of it, Rishe hadn't been able to finish what she wanted to say to him the other day. She smiled and told him, "Right now, what I want to study most is the man who will be my husband."
More than any scientific research or theory, Rishe felt this from the bottom of her heart. "That is why I'll remain here. Even if he breaks off our engagement and chases me away."
"I have no right to stop you, then."
Glad that Michel understood, Rishe stood and bowed to him. "I'm sorry for taking so much of your time. I know you have to prepare for your return home."
"No, I was happy to talk to you. I suppose we won't see each other for a while."
Michel stood and, with that same gentle smile, said, "See you later, my student."
His goodbye reminded her of the final words they'd exchanged in her life as an alchemist, but unlike those said that moonless night, these promised another meeting.
"It's all thanks to you, Prince Arnold."
"I didn't do anything significant." Arnold said at his work desk, visibly disinterested.
"But you did. You made a very generous decision."
"It's just more productive to put him to use rather than bluster on about what wasn't anything more than an attempt. Oh, and I received a report on the man's behavior. Michel Hévin may be a capable scholar, but I don't want anything to do with him personally. I'll leave our joint research with Coyolles in his hands. I'll take the benefits, but I'm not managing him myself."
"I still think it's generous of you."
"I don't care. Plus, you'll be looking in on him from time to time to make sure he's not working on anything nefarious, right?"
Rishe gave him a firm nod. "Right. I'll take care of it!"
It was the first time Arnold had ever entrusted her with something, and she found the idea exciting.
"I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to see what the joint powers of Prince Arnold, Prince Kyle, and Professor Michel can invent."
"And then we'll see how long it'll take to create those carriages that move without horses you talked about."
"Heh heh."
Back in the garden, he barely seemed to be paying attention, but this showed he had been thinking about it. That made Rishe strangely happy. Constantly agonizing over the future was tiring her out, but if she had Arnold and other people working alongside her, the possibilities seemed endless.
Working toward a better future sounds preferable to trying to avoid the worst ones! I still don't know what Arnold's plans are, but I feel like I'm making progress.
All she could do was keep changing things one by one until a new future was born. Her days training as a knight candidate had ended safely. Her next plan: start her final preparations for their marriage ceremony.