The Raven's Reflection

Chapter 16 - Arranged

"One week left before your finals, eh?" Samuel mentioned as the two teenagers climbed into the car. "You two must be getting pretty nervous about it all coming to an end."

"I think I'm pretty ready for them," Cerno replied, looking out the window as they left Oideachas' city limits.

"Same," Kinsley answered. "We've been putting in a lot of time the last few weeks to make sure we didn't have any learning gaps."

"That's good," Samuel beamed happily. His smile didn't last long though. "Cer, you're probably already aware that Madam Edna has an extremely busy schedule for you this weekend?"

Cerno sighed and nodded. He looked over at Kinsley and took her hand, smiling at her as he pulled it to his lap and held it tight.

"Well unfortunately, she's wanting you to get started immediately," he mentioned, suddenly eyeing Cerno in the rear-view mirror. "Kinsley, I'll drop you off at your home when we get back to Ralnsah since Cerno won't be able to walk you."

"Will she still force him to be this busy all the time once we're done with school?" she asked with a sigh.

"This is of my own doing," Cerno replied. "This was the agreement I made in order to protect the Shallows. I'm amazed it worked, actually. I'm glad it worked. I'm so exhausted, but it's been worth it."

"Spoken like a true leader, Master Cerno," Samuel complimented.

"I'm taking a complete week—actually, probably two—off after graduation though. I deserve it," he stated.

"But that puts you coming back to work right before your birthday and the coronation," Samuel advised, giving a frowning glance back at Cerno in the mirror again. "You'll have a lot to catch up on."

"I understand, but I think I deserve to celebrate the extra work I've done for Ralnsah while we both got ahead and graduated early."

"I'll speak with Madam Edna to try get it approved."

"No," Cerno started firmly. "I am taking the time to relax. I am beyond burnt out and I just need a little time for myself before the coronation."

Samuel sighed but dropped the argument, knowing Cerno was going to demand his way no matter what the Grand Madame planned for him. This fight needed to be between the two of them and he was going to make sure he was at least three rooms away before the topic could be argued.

Once back to the manor, Cerno set off to the office to get started on the weekly proposals that would be sitting on his desk. Most of them would no doubt be minor or incredibly absurd, so he knew he would get through them quickly.

"Cerno?" Nan Edna's voice rang out just before she walked into the office, giving a soft little double knock on the open door.

He sighed softly. He had only been working on these for about an hour and barely made a dent yet.

"How about you put those off for a little while? I have a big topic we need to discuss and I have someone for you to meet," she stated.

Cerno shifted in his chair a little, he didn't like the slightly off tone in her voice or the upscale in her appearance. Her solid white hair was done up nicer than normal today and she wore a beautiful red and gold gown. She was up to something. "Can it wait? You and Duke Itham have surely left me quite the amount of proposals and requests to review."

"It can, but it doesn't need to. Come, child," she said, motioning for him to follow her.

He hefted a sigh of irritation to himself as he stood and followed her into the large family room. As he approached, he realized there were a lot of voices.