Teodor then mentioned that her lessons would begin tomorrow, and by the gleam in his eyes, she felt she was in for something frightening.
Karolina's instructor for etiquette and manners was none other than Empress Vanessa. This was her first time being an instructor, but she would give it her absolute best.
Soon enough she decided to call it a day, and Karolina was relieved. Vanessa felt she had been moving too quickly. She had gotten carried away, because Karolina was such a fast learner. Karolina's memory was on the good side, and what was truly admirable was her eagerness to learn. Vanessa had no doubt she was a brilliant student.
The next day, she was ready for more of Teodor's lessons. He told her that Edward would also be attending today's lesson, and to her surprise, he was already seated in the class.
The lesson for today was about magic.
Teodor asked Karolina when she had undergone her last magical aptitude test. She said only once, when she was young.
Whether or not one possessed magical power, along with one's affinity for specific magical attributes, was innate. It was said that this was all determined at birth. However, Teodor claimed, that was a big misconception. Magical powers in childhood were extremely unstable and prone to fluctuations. That was why here in the Malcosian Empire it was mandatory for everyone to undergo the magical aptitude test at age five, and again at sixteen.
Teodor told Karolina she should consider a checkup once things had settled down after the Founder's Day fête and the wedding. Maybe there was hope for her yet.
That said, despite being magic users, there were still those who could not control their power and did things like accidentally setting carriages ablaze.
Either way, Teodor needed to discover the cause of the mysterious force. In addition to that, there was another curious phenomenon: the lack of monster encounters on their way back from the expedition.
Karolina asked whether they often encountered monsters. She had rarely gone anywhere far from the royal capital or the Duke's territory, so she had never seen a wild monster before.
Edward and Teodor could not believe their ears. Apparently there were no monsters even within the royal capital or the Duke's territory, though they did have monsters intended as pets for auction. Karolina had heard of monster-related incidents from before her time. Nowadays, though, they were unheard of.
Teodor believed this was a blessing of the saint's power.
As Karolina left after class, Owen said it was a rare sight to find Edward, who hated study, sitting in on a lecture. Rumor had it that when he was little, Edward always snuck out of class to go train with a sword. Owen supposed the commander had cheated on the mandatory exam.
That was when Colette showed up behind them, and Karolina was thrilled to see him. He warned Owen that if he was not careful, he could easily be charged with lèse-majesté. The two of them started arguing.
At that moment, Owen sensed an assassin about to shoot Karolina and warned her to get down. Luckily, his magic shield blocked the shot in time. When Karolina opened her eyes, she was beyond frightened.
The knights got to work investigating. Owen had Karolina perfectly secure, but she could not leave the room. He told her pointedly that it looked like they were trying to cause liability issues by hurting her.
Karolina did not know what he meant by that. It looked like no one had told her.
Edward rushed into the room, shoving Colette out of the way. He had to make sure his bride-to-be was all right. Teodor told him to calm down, though — he might hurt her with his brute strength. The new couple were both a bit red in the face. Karolina was somewhat surprised that he had been worried about her.
They all sat down to discuss what had happened. The shooting had taken place in the breezeway between the palace and the knights' headquarters. Karolina felt thankful for Owen's protective barrier.
Teodor decided that from here on, lessons would be held in Karolina's private chambers. If they remained inside the palace, the assassins would not likely lay a hand on anyone.
He apologized for placing her in harm's way in the first place by having her come out there. And he swore to find out who had attempted to attack her.
Then he presented her with a letter from Duke Raymond, her father.
To my beloved Karolina. Have you gotten used to life in the empire yet? I've been beside myself with worry ever since you left the kingdom. Before I knew it, I found myself constantly fretting over you. Now, I'm changing subjects, but the kingdom of Celestia has been awash with ill tidings as of late.
King Nathan did not understand why their crops were growing at abnormally slow rates. Worse, there had been ten monster incidents in such a short time. He had thought everything was under control thanks to Lady Flora's holy magic. Nathan was sick of all the bad news, but the Duke told him not to avert his eyes from reality.
A plague outbreak had begun, with its origin and treatment methods still unknown, likely due to contamination of the water or the air. Nathan relayed the important orders to deal with things, emphasizing a treatment for the plague. It was all too much for him.
Meanwhile, Flora was falling apart, biting her nails over the fact that her holy magic was weakening. Her healing had weakened dramatically, and the crops were all withering, all in spite of her holy spells.
She felt terrible at the idea of disappointing her father. He had always told her that magic was influenced by the caster's mental state. He thought she must be nervous about the upcoming saintly trials, and perhaps she was lonely with Karolina gone. He thought the two of them were so close.
She struggled, but ultimately told him that indeed — if only Karolina were here at a time like this.
Putting on that act really infuriated her. If not for the public eye, she would not have spent a single moment with that wench.
Iris reminded her that she needed to focus on the trials. Flora knew she had to find the cause of her troubles soon.
Continuing the letter, Raymond told Karolina that everything was fine and everyone was doing well. He would be accompanying the king to the Founder's Day fête, and would see her then.