Emberlain.
"Welcome back, Princess Clairette."
A nun bowed before Vivia with a pleasant smile.
"It feels like a long time since we last met.
"Indeed, Sister Sherry."
Vivia studied the elderly nun before her, who had aged like fine wine. Despite her wrinkles and grey hair, she looked far from a typical old woman. She turned her gaze to take in the place of her visit - The Fourfold Covenant.
The Covenant where Clairette pursued her scholarship to become well-versed with history and literature. Just as Aeren had said, Clairette - or Vivia now, had to complete her studies and earn recognition from the head priest before any talks of her engagement could be decided. She hadn't dodged that bullet entirely, but at the very least, the sword was off of her neck for now.
Vivia had heard of the Covenant like every other human had but had never gotten the chance to actually visit it from the inside - and the interior certainly didn't disappoint.
The architecture was in stark contrast to the Twilight Sanctum of the Demon Realm. Where the Sun and Moon represented every facet of the Sanctum, the Fourfold Covenant was represented by Seasons.
The four pillars upon which the Covenant stood tall and wide represented the four seasons of nature - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Each pillar depicted its own deity - Vernalis of Spring, Solvara of Summer, Aureanthe of Autumn, and Hyvernox of Winter.
The four pillars extended all the way to the ceiling that soared high above, where they united to exhibit a mesmerizing shifting mural cycling from blooming spring meadows to blazing summer skies, from the golden hues of autumn harvests to the snow-draped stillness of winter. Whoever had worked on that architecture of the shifting mural deserved all the praise in the world for they had perfectly captured the beauty of the seasons and the deities governing them.
"Princess?"
Her daze snapped, and she found herself standing in front of the altar - the Altar of Renewal. A polished quartz dais sat at the center where offerings were laid and people prayed. Surrounding it were four smaller obelisks, each pulsating with a brilliant luminescence, representing the hue of a different season.
Vivia closed her eyes and prayed. After watching Nethermoor endure the pain of eternal winter, she wished no such crisis to ever befall ever again. She opened her eyes and released a quiet breath.
She looked back at Benjamin, the Captain-General of Emberlain's Royal Army, the most important position after the Commander. Considering Vivia's hand in Audreya's escape and how unpredictable she had become since her return, Elvin was firm upon keeping her under a strict watch, with considerable restrictions on her movements.
"I feel chilly, Sir Benjamin. You can be at ease here."
"His Highness, the Crown Prince's strict orders are to never be at ease around the Princess. You must never be out of my sight."
This is such a pain. I cannot function being constantly on guard like this.
A young woman approached them, who Vivia took to be a nun-in-training. She bowed and said, "Father awaits the Princess."
Sherry nodded and looked at Vivia. "He has been missing you a lot. You've always been such a diligent student. I'll take you to him."
They headed upstairs where Sister Sherry stood before a door knocked gently.
"Come in."
Vivia stepped into an enormous office that looked like an endless stretch of a library. Being a slow learner when it came to texts and books, she genuinely questioned people's interest in them. The office-come-study reminded Vivia of her own chamber in the palace with its own mini library like this.
No wonder Clairette went here to study. They look like two peas in a pod…
"Clairette."
A middle-aged man emerged from behind a shelf, his eyes brightening the moment he saw her. A short grey beard hung from his chin. He wore a simple dark maroon robe that accentuated his elegant features.
Father Iorick Parsones.
The head priest of the Four Covenant who oversaw its functions and responsibilities, the most important person of authority granting the Blessed their name. Whenever the Blessed was born, it was the Covenant's responsibility to name that child who had received the blessing of the Gods.
Vivia offered a bow. "Father Iorick."
He smiled, as calm as the still sea. "I'm at ease to see you doing fine. The news of the attempt on your life had made me so worried. Then your stay in the Demon Realm…it nearly brought my heart into my throat. You aren't just an ordinary citizen, after all."
Even through the haziness of Clairette's memories, Vivia sensed deep respect and admiration for Father Iorick. He seemed to be one of the only ones in the Human Realm, apart from Clairette, who didn't harbor an extreme hatred towards the demons. Amid the suffocation she endured at the palace, the Covenant had become her safe haven.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Father. But I'm doing fine. I returned to complete my education. I understand my long absence must have troubled you…"
"Not at all. Who could even blame you?" He shook his head. "I'm happy to see your dedication towards your studies. Your students were also missing you a lot. You can meet them some other day. For now, Sister Sherry will lead you to your study room. Ah, yes."
He looked apologetic. "I forgot to tell you. Unfortunately, a fire had caught on the third floor around half a month ago. You know how children can get…"
His gaze went somber. "We lost some scrolls and texts in that fire. Thankfully, the fire didn't spread that far and nobody got hurt. But we had to move your study room. Hope you don't mind."
"Absolutely not. I hope everyone is fine."
"Well, I don't know if we can count the children doing well. Sister Sherry's punishments can get quite tedious," he chuckled.
She looked unfazed. "Children must understand the consequences before their excitement would lead to a bigger disaster."
Sister Sherry led her to the opposite end of the third floor's corridor where the fire fortunately hadn't reached. Vivia stepped into her small but cozy study room that smelled of ancient scrolls and books. Though Clairette would have loved the sight, Vivia felt dizzy seeing so many books stacked together all at once.
"If you need anything, just ring for Annie."
"Okay, Sister."
"Father Iorick has prepared some notes for you and…" she coughed, "your work too."
A big pile of papers awaited her on the desk, and her heart skipped a beat.
"...What is that, Sister?"
"Things were quite busy after the fire. Father or I didn't quite get the time to sort those records. But now that you're back…"
She said it with such a pleasant expression as though she had nothing to do with the mountainous work being dumped upon her. As her - or Clairette's studies progressed, Father Iorick had begun trusting her with more Covenant administrative tasks like archiving and record keeping. And now the work had piled up to become a tall, gigantic sheaf of scrolls.
Oh God help me…
—
"Haahh!!"
Vivia collapsed on the couch and heaved a heavy sigh.
Who's going to work on this pile of papers on their first day of return? Not that I know anything about archiving…
A pointed gaze landed upon her from none other than Benjamin, standing near the door, upright and alert.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, my lady."
Vivia stared at him. What she lacked the most at the moment were trustworthy people by her side. Elvin and Rosrell were out of the question. Aeren and Sierra were grey zones. Regina was clearly a supportive mother.
But who else? She couldn't rely on Regina forever. People might follow orders because she was the Queen, but where did that leave her? Or Clairette?
Her maid, Erissa, had proved herself quite useful. It had come as a shock to learn that she had arranged for Audreya to escape from the Grisbane residence all on her own, realizing that Vivia didn't hate her for some reason she couldn't figure out.
'Please forgive me if I stepped out of the line, Princess. It's just that..watching you go so far to defend that woman, even clashing blades with Lady Judith, I felt it was only prudent to not let her get caught,' Erissa bowed.
'I still am perplexed as to why my lady would want to protect her. She could still prove to be dangerous and put your life at risk. But you seemed…very firm towards protecting her. I did what I thought would put my lady's mind at ease.'
Knowing that Audreya was somewhere safe had taken a considerable weight off Vivia's chest.
Now she watched Benjamin, tasked to keep an eye on her by her troublesome elder brother, watching her every move.
"You don't like me at all, do you, Sir Benjamin?"