I sat in the garden, which had become my new favorite spot in the house, dissecting a Drityl that Sienna gave me yesterday and taking notes. There were parts of the plant that were never used, and although I didn't have the proper tools, I still wanted to examine it closely. I had a handkerchief blocking my nose to avoid inhaling any fumes and wore gloves, as I was too weak to continuously use magic.
"What are you doing?" Keith asked for the fifth time since I started. For some reason, he was here.
"I'm trying to understand the plant," I replied, my eyes fixed on it.
"Why doesn't it affect you?" he asked, and I stopped what I was doing to look at him.
"I'm careful," I said.
"What do you intend to use it for?" Why is Keith really chatty today?
"A medicine," I said, and he nodded.
"Okay," he said, standing up.
"Hey, my dorm mates, why are you all here?" someone spoke. I turned and saw an unexpected face.
"Hey, Reginald," Keith said.
"Faina, long time," he said, and I nodded.
"It has been," I said, scanning him. It was rare to see him in anything other than pajamas, and even more rare to see him not yawning.
"You're awake, that's a big feat," Keith said.
"I'm trying my best. I just got here, and Sienna won't let me rest," he said, taking his seat. "What t…" he started to say as he tried to touch the Drityl, but I caught his hand. I don't think he's fully awake.
"It's a Drityl," I said, and he nodded, moving his hand back.
"I almost killed myself the moment I got here. This is why you should let me rest," he said, turning to look at Sienna.
"I don't know how you became a professor," Sienna said, and I paused and turned to look at her.
"Professor?" I asked, turning back to look at Reginald. "You're a professor?"
"Is it a surprise? I became a professor the year you joined the academy. I wrote the research on utilizing magic items, and I even made one that was quite the rage for a while, but I've been too weak to continue, so I put a pause on it," he said like it was nothing. He was too tired or just too lazy to continue.
"He doesn't look like one, right? I didn't believe it and still don't," Keith said. "He'll always be a freeloader to me," he added, and Reginald nodded at him proudly.
"You stole the position of youngest professor ever from me," he said. "I'm holding a grudge," he added. How old is he? He looks younger now that he isn't tardy, but I can't guess because sometimes he looks like an old man and sometimes he doesn't.
"Just pass the message from Lady Alden, and you can rest," Sienna said.
"Oh, good. I don't know why you're in a hurry," Reginald said, checking his pocket. He brought out a few envelopes and scanned them. "This one is for Livi," he said, handing it over to me.
"Thank you," I said, receiving it.
"And this one is… oh, here's yours," he said, handing a letter over to Sienna. She collected it and quickly opened it to scan through it. A smile appeared on her face, and she turned to look at Keith.
"They are doing it," she said.
"Really? Why? We can still…," he started to say but trailed off and smiled in amusement.
"The Waisons are a lost cause. They still hold a grudge against the duchess, but it seems like after they heard of the North's support, they stopped opposing the second prince," she said, handing the letter over to him. He scanned through it and shook his head.
"We'll have to start planning for your return to the academy. We really need to do everything before it snows," Sienna said.
"There will be a snowstorm this new year," Reginald said.
"Faina, you might have to return soon. Alden has finally decided to end this with a coup," Sienna said. Is Teon alright?
"It's safe here. Why doesn't she just stay here?" Keith asked.
"That's true, but wouldn't you prefer keeping yourself busy while all this is happening?" Sienna asked, and I nodded. I'd prefer keeping busy rather than waiting for my time to run out, and to add to that, I'd be worried about everyone.
"Don't worry about Faina. The security in the academy has been doubled," Reginald said.
"I'll be going to the East soon as well," Sienna said. "From there to the capital," she added.
"Then I'll just stay here and let you all do the work," he replied.
"Please bring back the reliable Reggie," Sienna said.
"The owner of the key isn't here. Anyway, I'll be going to the East too. I'm just a messenger," he said with a serious tone. "Lord Hackington said he won't get involved, but he'll tell the knights not to get involved either."
"This is basically a slaughter party," Sienna said, smiling.
"The emperor lost the support of his followers when he went against the Waisons and made that woman the empress. He could have salvaged the situation, but he just made matters worse for himself with bad decisions. We can't even rely on the so-called crown prince because of his bad reputation in high society," Reginald sighed. "All this fighting is already getting tiring," he added, lying on the table.
"Ah, the Drityl," I shouted, and he sat up quickly.
"I really have a death wish," he said, laughing. I shook my head and stood up, walking to his side to heal him. "You're really handy, Faina," he said, giving me a thumbs up.
"Since we'll be gone for a long time, I think we should send the kids to Father," Sienna said to Keith.
"That makes sense, but the moment he hears of the coup, it'll be hard to stop him from coming back," Keith said.
"The kids are the perfect distraction for him. Besides, it's not really a coup. The empress is the only one with countless charges. Her illegal businesses are pointlessly many. The emperor can be spared if he gives up quietly. With the knights turning their backs on him, he won't have a choice. As for the first prince…" Sienna paused and sighed.
"There's no need to worry about him. The plan was to make him emperor for a while. Given his incompetence, he'd easily fall for the Rosens, which will give us an opening to get rid of Vernin by making them go against the Rosens for us," Reginald said.
"Will that work? That Rosen head is very crafty," Keith said. Giving Euston power would be the worst decision they'd ever make.
The North is an independent state controlled by Fox and a few nobles under them. The only other part of the empire that is united under a family is the East, which is controlled by Alden. The South is controlled mainly by the Rosens but not completely; it houses some of the old generals and important noble families. The same goes for the West, which is partly under Alden control and Waisons.
If Rosen takes control, he'd get what he's always wanted, which is full control of the South. Then he'd soon go after Alden and the East, then the West, and I wouldn't be surprised if he goes after the North as well. The Rosens have always been greedy. Euston won't rest until he takes full control of the empire.
He took over Rosen by slowly taking over the businesses under the family name until he finally forced his father to quit and run. Some say he killed him, but the validity isn't certain.
"Giving Rosen power is a bad idea," I said my thoughts aloud without realizing.
"You're right, Faina. They have a grudge against Alden and will use everything in their power to get Alden," Sienna said, contemplating. He won't go against Alden. He would give them a false offer that they can't say no to and use it to take control of the family. "I'll talk to Lady Alden about this," she said.
"Let's leave that for later," Reginald said, bringing out a letter. "I forgot to give you this," he said, giving me a letter and another to Sienna. "From Wolfe. That kid thinks I'm a messenger now," he said, shaking his head.