The Tale of the Ice Princess

Part 2 - Chapter 4

~a week later ~

"Lord Acconite has arrived . He is currently waiting in the parlor ." Lavina said , snapping me out of my focus . 

" Urghhh, i was soooo close. Lavina , is it fine to make him wait , just a while ? Please?" 

Shaking her head Lavina replied , "I'm sorry , that can't do. We both know that 'just a while' means a few hours . It's rude to make guests wait . Besides , it was Milady who invited him." 

It's kind of true .....

Whenever Lavina switched to a formal tone , i knew that i was not going to get away with anything . I tried , once , a few times , many times , and the result was the same , i lost . 

Heaving a sigh i got up from my chair , taking that particular stone with me . 

----------

 "Welcome Lord Aconite to my humble dwelling , it is my pleasure to welcome you . " i said , curtsying .

"I thank you , and do address me as Maximus , we are peers aren't we ? " He replied , getting up to bow. 

" Alright then, address me as Aria if you will " I said , sitting down on the parlor chair opposite from Maximus.

Addressing each other without any polite form of address meant that here , we were equals and acknowledged each other . However , this practice was for use only in private for obvious reasons . If we were to encounter each other in public we would need to address each other properly. 

I acknowledge that he has some potential and would be of good use to me......  Either way , formality is too hard , keeping it casual is better . 

Lavina quietly laid down the tea cups and snacks , moving to stand behind me . 

We talked about inconsequential topics for a while , before i directed the conservation to a more serious topic , in an attempt to test him . 

"So Maximus , what do you plan to study in The Academy ? " I asked . 

The Academy had a variety of courses besides the standard subjects all students are required to take , students could select additional subjects that corresponded to their future occupation . 

To illustrate, if a student wanted to become a Knight in the future , they needed to take the swordsmanship class , which is included in the Knights course .

" I was thinking about being a bureaucrat or scholar . What about you?" He replied , a noble's smile plastered on his face , masking his true emotion 

" I haven't given it much thought yet ..."

I have actually decided what to take, just that i could not share my options yet . 

" As winter draws closer , i fear that it would help accelerate the rampant spread of diseases in the capital . ...." I said , changing the subject to the latest outbreak of diseases in the Capital slums . 

"You may be right ." He said , a note of detachment in his voice . 

Sheltered noble brat, you don't even know how horrible it is. You don't know the reality . 

I took out a small box from my dress pocket , saying " Here , a gift. "

"Oh my , you shouldn't have . I thank you ." He said , accepting the gift . 

Just you wait . 

"Could you perhaps put it on? I would love to see how it looks ." I said , insistent .