Charlotte's Law

Epilogue

Camden worked hard throughout the rest of the school year, using a bit of the money he'd been left to completely restore Kenn's luxurious family home. It was huge, with grand, ornate designs and tall arched windows. A large dome sat on top, with a moveable top that could be opened up as an observatory. Intimidating stone gargoyles rested on the edges of the front balconies, and with the help of the new gardening team, the grass was starting to look lush and flowers had started to bloom.

Camden stayed at the school during the year, thoroughly reevaluating all of the teachers and staff, especially the representatives. Everyone checked out, and Camden promoted Rome to Chief Executive, in charge of foreign relations and rule-keeping. She remained head of the science department as well.

The students were happy, and Camden made sure he was well involved in everything going on. He renovated the school's amenities and turned Kenn's dusty old office into a sort of lounge/office/bedroom for himself. Of course, he stayed in his dorm with Landyn and Finn most of the time. He was still a student, after all. The bed simply came in handy when he stayed up late, working on some financial concern (not that there were many of those) or other official headmaster business.

Finally, though, the school year was over and tests were finished. Parents had been notified that their children would be returning on the thirtieth of June, and Camden's parents had been politely informed that he would not be returning. With one day left, Camden set his affairs straight and retreated to his dorm room. Landyn was waiting for him, sitting on his bed and reading a book.

"I still don't like this," Landyn commented, not looking up from his page. Camden sat on the bed next to him and gently pulled the book out of his grip.

"It's somethin' I 'ave to do, Landyn," Camden informed the blonde boy. "I can't just leave things like this. If they don't wanna come, I won't make 'em, but at least I tried. For th' record, me dad isn't welcome, so."

Landyn's pout turned into a soft expression of understanding and he nodded. "When can I see the manor?"

Camden smirked and took his hand. "Why not right now? Grimwey Manor!"

They stumbled slightly, looking up at the large mansion. After Landyn recovered from a short coughing fit, he looked around in wonder, taking in the sight. Camden shook his burning hands and hid the blisters behind his back, smiling reassuringly at Landyn.

Clenching his fists and willing the blisters to go down, he lead Landyn through the manor. Many of the rooms were either empty, guest bedrooms, or sitting rooms, but some had been altered in the renovations. Camden had put in a game room, with a billiards table and a chess set in it. There was a room full of weapons: guns and knives, javelins, bows, arrows, anything you could think of. Camden kept that one locked at most times. There was a lake in the back garden that had water clean enough to swim in, and a large clump of trees resembling a small forest held many wild animals.

Camden had hired exactly ten maids, two butlers, a cook, fifteen gardeners, and three stable boys. They were paid generously and allowed to eat with him, though, since Camden didn't like the idea of having servants at all. The place was simply too much for him to keep up on his own.

"It's brilliant!" Landyn said, plopping down on a plush sofa in the main sitting room. "It's fit for a king!"

"It is pretty grand," Camden laughed nervously. "I'm not used to havin' such space."

"At least it's nice space," Landyn commented. Camden shrugged and looked out a window over the landscape beyond.

"It'll be nicer once some more people live 'ere," he admitted. "Landyn, I wanna propose somethin' to ya, and I completely understand if ya deny the offer, but I'd like to ask all th' same."